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NASA's Hubble Telescope has returned stunning images of eye-catching views into the sky, but shadows are not usually the culmination of the product it produces. This image of a distant star is different, and the shadow it projects is not just pleasing to look at, but it could even reveal what is hidden in places we can not see.
As NASA explains in a new post, this image features a star named HBC 672. It is located about 1,300 light-years away from Earth, but even at this distance we can see the massive shadows that Escape on each side. So, what is enveloping its surroundings in the dark? NASA has a very good idea.
"This Sun-like star is surrounded by a ring of dust, rocks and ice, a disk too small and too far to be seen, even by Hubble," NASA explains. "But like a little fly that walks in the beam of a flashlight that shines on a wall, its shadow is projected big on the cloud in which it was born."
The shadow is actually projected by a narrow band of debris that gravitates around the star. It is a material like this that eventually unites to form planets, moons and other objects, as we see in our own solar system. But the CBH 672 is not yet so advanced.
"It's an analogue of what the solar system looked like when it was only 1 or 2 million years ago," said Klaus Pontoppidan of the Institute of space telescope science in a statement. "For all we know, the solar system has already created a shadow like this."
If you could go back in time, our own system could have looked a lot like this, including the bold, pointed shadows attached to each side. However, at a distance of 1,300 light-years, it is unlikely that humankind will have the opportunity to study HBC 672 closely. So, for now, just look away.
Image Source: NASA
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