Labelled overview of the Hyades star cluster (ground-based image)
Date: 09 May 2013
Satellite: Hubble Space Telescope
Depicts: Hyades, WD0421+162, WD0431+126
Copyright: NASA, ESA, STScI, and Z. Levay (STScI)
This image shows the region around the Hyades star cluster, the nearest open cluster to us. The Hyades cluster is very well-studied due to its location, but previous searches for planets have produced only one. A new study led by Jay Farihi of the University of Cambridge, UK, has now found the atmospheres of two burnt-out stars in this cluster - known as white dwarfs - to be "polluted" by rocky debris circling the star.
In the insets, the locations of these white dwarf stars are indicated - stars known as WD 0421+162, and WD 0431+126.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
