The Butterfly Star
I've found a renewed fascination with the stars. This is the Butterfly Star (IRAS 04302+2247).... a newly-forming star, still in the process of gathering dust and gas (ak
I've found a renewed fascination with the stars.
This is the Butterfly Star (IRAS 04302+2247).... a newly-forming star, still in the process of gathering dust and gas (aka gathering mass).
Look closely and you'll see several distant galaxies scattered in the background.
Here's the mind-blower:
This image doesn't show what's happening now… it shows what was happening 525 years ago — because this star is 525 light-years away. That means the light just now reaching our telescopes began its journey around the year 1500 A.D., back when....
Leonardo da Vinci was sketching his flying machines
The Ottoman Empire was near its height
Columbus had just returned from his voyage
The James Webb Space Telescope captured this image just last week.
It is mesmerizing....
even as it sits approximately 3.1 quadrillion miles from my house.
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