December 13, 2007
The stars above are ancient, but your chance to be here is exquisitely temporary.
T Tauri and Hind's Variable Nebula
Birthday · December 13, 2007
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APOD published December 13, 2007. Credit: Don Goldman. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
The orange star centered in this remarkable telescopic skyview is T Tauri, prototype of the class of T Tauri variable stars. Nearby it is a dusty yellow cosmic cloud historically known as Hind's Variable Nebula (NGC 1555/1554). Over 400 light-years away, at the edge of a molecular cloud, both star and nebula are seen to vary significantly in brightness but not necessarily at the same time, adding to the mystery of the intriguing region. T Tauri stars are now generally recognized as young (less than a few million years old), sun-like stars still in the early stages of formation. To further complicate the picture, infrared observations indicate that T Tauri itself is part of a multiple system and suggest that the associated Hind's Nebula may also contain a very young stellar object. The dramatic color image spans about 4 light-years at the estimated distance of T Tauri.
Image credit: Don Goldman