V838 Monocerotis Variable Star, light echo unveiling

[GateMessenger]

Please explain why the stars in the background became brighter as the energy wave, which went faster than the speed of light, passed?

[Destructor111]

@GateMessenger

I can't explain why they became brighter, probably an optical effect due to camera settings like exposure etc... however, you are mistaken, It wasn't an energy wave, and it wasn't travelling faster than light.

It is a pulse of light, travelling at exactly light speed, illuminating the surrounding interstellar dust. since the last image came 3 years after the first, the visible gas is in a sphere six lightyears wide.

I'd explain more if I had more characters, stupid limit!

[Destructor111]

@Destructor111 And yes, light is a form of energy, so in effect, it is an energy wave, but the way you said it, coupled with FTL, seemed a little Sci-fi.

Anyway, We are seeing it now, as it happened (I think)430 years ago. The star, and the gas surrounding it are 430 (I think) lightyears distant. The star, v838 suddenly brightened for a short time 433 years ago, and as the light reflected off the gas travelled at the same speed as the light from the star, we are seeing it all together!

[Brooney1]

That's what would happend if Jupiter collided with the sun... Probably not as much, but the same thing.

[iAMbunkoalex]

Wow, when you actually see things like this actually happening its just amazing.

[boggy2411]

this is the effect of gas material remaining from a supernova or hypernova explosion, the gas being ejected for lyrs away from the original site.

[zhimbo]

It's pre-existing light and dust already surrounding the star that is being illuminated by the "light echo" of the star, which briefly intensified in brightness for a very short period of time, but did not expel any substantial amount of material itself.

So: What you see is the expanding shell of light itself, moving at light speed, being reflected by the surrounding dust.

[zhimbo]

typo: "light and dust" should be "gas and dust".

[MaiL0MaN5]

mindbogging

[Matsute]

Incredible.