V838 Monocerotis Variable Star, light echo unveiling

A dissolve sequence of six images taken by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys shows a CAT-scan-like probe of the three-dimensional structure of the shells of dust surrounding the aging star V838 Monocerotis. The sequence reveals dramatic changes in the way a brilliant flash of light from the star is reflecting off surrounding dusty cloud structures. The effect, called a light echo, has been unveiling never-before-seen dust patterns ever since the star suddenly brightened for several weeks in early 2002.

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[tjartik]

I think they had to make longer exposures to capture the (dissipating) light more equally , that's what i can think of right now.

[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!

[Destructor111]

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!

[GateMessenger]

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

[Brooney1]

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