Star pics

[Geniere]

The first link downloads a 6mb movie showing 4 stars in orbit around the 3million solar mass blackhole in the center of our (Milkyway) galaxy.

http://www.mpe.mpg.de/ir/GC/index.php


The next link shows variable stars in a globular cluster. This type star is important as they can be used to determine distances to far away galaxies.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap041012.html

 

[dguy6789]

pretty cool stuff

 

[everman]

Why is it that one of the stars comes out from the top left, comes down and then makes a sharp U-Turn? That doesn't really seem like an "orbit" in relation to the others. Very interesting though.

 

[Geniere]

From the movie, it is only possible to say for certain that only one of the stars is in orbit around the black hole. I recall reading elsewhere that all four stars are in orbit. The orbit of the one coming in from the upper left is similar in appearance to that of some of the comets that orbit our sun.

This fun link allows you to alter the orbit of a comet:

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/to...model_interactive.html

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: everman
Why is it that one of the stars comes out from the top left, comes down and then makes a sharp U-Turn? That doesn't really seem like an "orbit" in relation to the others. Very interesting though.

That's what happens when it passes very close to the black hole. It's just a different type of orbit.

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: Geniere
From the movie, it is only possible to say for certain that only one of the stars is in orbit around the black hole. I recall reading elsewhere that all four stars are in orbit. The orbit of the one coming in from the upper left is similar in appearance to that of some of the comets that orbit our sun.

This fun link allows you to alter the orbit of a comet:

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/to...model_interactive.html

Not all orbits are closed and elliptical. There are parabolic and hyperbolic orbits as well.

Also they could just be highly eccentric.

 

[cirthix]

cool