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May 11

NASA'S Spitzer Sees Crystal "Rain" In Outer Clouds Of Infant Star

Source: NASA-Spitzer


Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Toledo

 

Tiny crystals of a green mineral called olivine are falling down like rain on a burgeoning star, according to observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

This is the first time such crystals have been observed in the dusty clouds of gas that collapse around forming stars. Astronomers are still debating how the crystals got there, but the most likely culprits are jets of gas blasting away from the embryonic star.(read more)

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