Published on StarDate Online (https://stardate.org)

Home > Breath of Life

Breath of Life [1]

A hot, massive star 'exhales' a breath of oxygen in this recent image from WISE, an orbiting infrared satellite that is surveying the entire sky. The oxygen forms the small red circle at the center of the image. The star, V385 Carinae, is 35 times as massive as the Sun and more than one million times brighter. It is manufacturing oxygen and other elements, and some of them flow out into space. Eventually, the star will explode as a supernova, seeding the galaxy with more oxygen and other life-giving elements. [NASA/JPL/UCLA]

A hot, massive star 'exhales' a breath of oxygen in this recent image from WISE.
  • Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13) [2]
  • Science [3]
  • About StarDate
  • Underwriting
  • SkyTips Sign-Up
  • Change mailing address
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright and Usage
  • Contact

StarDate is brought to you in part through the generous support of our underwriters.
Interested in underwriting? Let us know

 

FacebookTwitterYouTube

©2021 The University of Texas McDonald Observatory


Source URL: https://stardate.org/astro-guide/gallery/breath-life

Links
[1] https://stardate.org/astro-guide/gallery/breath-life
[2] https://stardate.org/grade-level/grades-6-8-ages-11-13
[3] https://stardate.org/subject-areas/science