The Hubble Space Telescope’s amazing observations have never stopped as we approach the James Webb Space Telescope’s era. A triple-star system made up of HP Tau, HP Tau G2, and HP Tau G3 was recently exquisitely photographed by Hubble. With HP Tau being just about 10 million years old and not yet fusing hydrogen, these stars are quite young.
With its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope completely changed our knowledge of the cosmos. Hubble is roughly the size of a British double-decker bus and orbits Earth at an altitude of about 547 kilometers. Its 2.4-meter mirror gathers light from far-off objects and sends it to different analytical equipment.
Symbolism and Image
A reflection nebula in the constellation Taurus, 550 light-years distant, is seen in the just released photo. The blue colour of reflection nebulae is caused by interstellar dust reflecting light from nearby stars. Emission nebulae, on the other hand, throw off their own light. In the picture, the young stars have sculpted a magnificent cavity in the nebula.
Young, Changing Stars
The youthful stars HP Tau, HP Tau G2, and HP Tau G3 form the core of this system. Less than 10 million years old, HP Tau is a T Tauri star, a sort of variable star named for the first star of its kind seen in Taurus. Strong chromospheric lines in the spectra and optical variability help to identify these stars. Given their young, the gas and dust clouds that produced them are frequently still all around them.
Light output from HP Tau fluctuates with time, both regularly and randomly. Although the reason of these erratic changes is yet unknown, they may be the consequence of chaotic processes when the star settles. Periodically dumping material onto the star, accretion disks—collapsing clouds of material surrounding young stars—can cause the star to flare.
Up Close
The picture asks viewers to notice the complex nebulosity patterns. It’s amazing to think that Hubble’s photo of light took 550 years to get here. Hubble’s observations of HP Tau are a component of a larger study of protoplanetary disks, formations orbiting young stars thought to be the forerunners of planetary systems.
Expanding Hubble’s Legacy
Reminding us of Hubble’s ongoing contribution to astronomy is this amazing observation. Even with the emphasis now on the James Webb Space Telescope, Hubble continues to offer priceless insights into the cosmos, from identifying the characteristics of young star systems to investigating possible planet birthplaces.
Our knowledge of the universe is enhanced by a peek into the early phases of stellar and planetary formation provided by the triple-star system HP Tau, HP Tau G2, and HP Tau G3, which Hubble so exquisitely photographed.