Wolf-Rayet stars – Astronomy Now

Colliding stellar winds hint at possible gamma ray burst to come

19 November 2018 Astronomy Now

Two massive, rapidly-rotating Wolf-Rayet stars are generating a titanic pinwheel of stellar wind-driven dust that hints at a cataclysmic gamma ray burst in the (astronomically) near future.

Crescent-shaped nebula in Carina harbours energetic Wolf-Rayet star

3 August 2018 Astronomy Now

The European Southern Observatory’s VLT Survey Telescope captures a stunning view of a crescent-shaped nebula 12,000 light years away in the southern constellation Carina where the outflow from a hot Wolf-Rayet star helps shape the lopsided structure.

Blowing bubbles – Wolf-Rayet stars put on dramatic show

15 June 2018 Astronomy Now

Energetic Wolf-Rayet stars near the end of their lives produce fast-moving stellar winds that can interact with the surrounding interstellar medium to generate spectacular bubbles in space. They rarely emit X-rays, but ESA’s XMM-Newton space telescope caught one in the act.

The dwarf galaxy that reveals the history of the universe

24 March 2015 Astronomy Now

Dwarf galaxy I Zw 18 stands out for its extreme scarcity of heavy elements, a characteristic typical of primeval galaxies. A map of ionised helium in the galaxy has just been published, indicating the presence of peculiar stars similar to the first that ever shone in the universe.