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Chasing a Star Named MIRA

Astronomers Look at Ultraviolet Light to Find Star’s Tail

January 1, 2008

Astronomers found a tail of carbon, oxygen, and other material trailing behind a dying star called Mira. People have watched the star break down for 400 years, but only recently have astronomers noticed that it is leaving material behind as it cruises through the universe at 80 miles per second. When viewed with ultraviolet imaging from a satellite, Mira displays a wake four times the diameter of the moon, material that may one day build new solar systems, such as carbon and oxygen.

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Science Insider

BUILD YOUR OWN TELESCOPE! You can make your own telescope with two magnifying glasses, an empty paper towel roll, and duct tape. Hold one glass between you and a printed piece of paper; the image will look blurry. Place the second glass between your eye and the first glass and move forward or backward until the image comes into focus. Have a friend measure the distance between the two glasses and write it down. Cut a slot in the cardboard tube about one inch from the front opening to hold one of the magnifying glasses. Cut a second slot for the second magnifying glass, the same distance from the first slot as your friend wrote down. Place the glasses in their slots and tape them in place with duct tape. Now you can look at the moon, some stars, or even birds.

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More information on this story

TO GO INSIDE THIS SCIENCE:
Dr. Chris Martin
Astronomer
California Institute of Technology
626-395-4243
cmartin@srl.caltech.edu


© 2008 American Institute of Physics