The field around HD 87643

This image, showing a very rich field of stars towards the Carina arm of the Milky Way, is centred on the star HD 87643, a member of the class of B[e] stars. The amazing image is set ablaze by a flurry of stars of all colours and brightnesses, some of which are seen against a backdrop of clouds of dust and gas. The red emission nebula is RCW47 and was catalogued in 1960. HD 87643 has been extensively studied with a full range of ESO telescopes, including the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Surrounded by a complex, extended nebula that is the result of previous violent ejections, the star is shown to have a companion. Interactions in this double system, surrounded by a dusty disc, may be the engine fuelling the star's remarkable nebula. The image, taken with the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at La Silla, is based on data obtained through different filters: B, V and R. The field of view is 33 x 32 arc-minutes.

Credit:

ESO/F. Millour et al.

About the Image

Id:eso0928e
Type:Observation
Release date:5 August 2009
Related releases:eso0928
Size:8451 x 8110 px

About the Object

Name:HD 87643
Type:Milky Way : Star
Constellation:Carina
Category:Stars

Image Formats

Large JPEG
37.2 MB
Screensize JPEG
602.8 KB

Zoomable


Wallpapers

1024x768
524.9 KB
1280x1024
834.6 KB
1600x1200
1.1 MB
1920x1200
1.2 MB
2048x1536
1.6 MB

Coordinates

Position (RA):10 4 30.37
Position (Dec):-58° 39' 52.08"
Field of view:33.52 x 32.16 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 0.1° right of vertical

Colours & filters

BandWavelengthTelescope
Optical
B
451 nmMPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope
WFI
Optical
V
539 nmMPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope
WFI
Optical
R
651 nmMPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope
WFI