Spitzer Image of HD168625: Ready to go Supernova?
Sig07 003a

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/N. Smith (UC Berkeley)

Observation • January 9th, 2007 • sig07-003a

sig07-003a

A Luminous Blue Variable star in our galaxy, named HD168625, is surrounded by a bipolar nebula that is similar to the one around SN1987A. SN1987A was a supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud that was first seen on Earth in 1987, and was the nearest supernova detected in about 400 years.

The image was taken in 2004 by the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope at wavelengths between 3.6 and 8 microns. The massive star at the center, which lies within the constellation Sagittarius, is about 7,200 light-years from Earth.

About the Object

Name
HD 168625
Type
Star > Type > Variable
Star > Evolutionary Stage > Blue Supergiant
Star > Evolutionary Stage > Supernova
Star > Circumstellar Material > Outflow
Nebula > Type > Supernova Remnant
Distance
7,176 Light Years

Color Mapping

Band Wavelength Telescope
Infrared 3.6 µm Spitzer IRAC
Infrared 4.5 µm Spitzer IRAC
Infrared 8.0 µm Spitzer IRAC

Astrometrics

Position ()
RA =18h 21m 19.5s
Dec = -16° 21' 59.8"
Field of View
0.0 x 0.0 arcminutes
Orientation
North is up