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Tue, January 14, 2025
Mon, January 13, 2025
[ 05:42 PM ] - NASA
Earth Science at Work

NASA's Hubble Tracks Down a 'Blue Lurker' Among Stars


Published on 2025-01-13 15:42:18 - NASA
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  • The name "blue lurker" might sound like a villainous character from a superhero movie. But it is a rare class of star that NASA's Hubble Space Telescope explored by looking deeply into the open star cluster M67,

The article from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope website discusses the discovery of a rare blue straggler star in the globular cluster NGC 6752, located about 13,000 light-years from Earth. This star, which appears younger and bluer than its neighbors, has puzzled astronomers because it defies the expected evolutionary path of stars within its cluster. Typically, stars in a globular cluster would have formed at roughly the same time, but this blue straggler seems to have gained new life, possibly through the collision or merging with another star, allowing it to continue burning hydrogen at its core. Observations by Hubble have helped in understanding these stellar anomalies, providing insights into stellar dynamics and evolution within dense stellar environments. The article highlights how Hubble's detailed imaging capabilities have been crucial in tracking and studying such unique stellar phenomena.

Read the Full NASA Article at:
[ https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-tracks-down-a-blue-lurker-among-stars/ ]
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