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Hubble Identifies What May Be the Most Luminous Star Known

The Space Telescope Science Institute and National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory contain sites of current interest related to the stars and planets this week. A UCLA-led team using cameras recently installed aboard the Hubble Space Telescope has identified a massive star approximately 25,000 light-years from Earth. Named the "Pistol Star" for the pistol-shaped nebula surrounding it, it is believed to be one of the largest ever discovered, releasing up to ten million times the energy of our sun and spanning the diameter of the Earth's orbit. Astronomers claim that the Pistol Star "unleashes as much energy in six seconds as our sun does in one year." This site offers the official press release and a caption for photos of the star, which are available in five resolutions and three formats (JPEG, GIF, .pdf). The Cassini flight system, containing a launch vehicle and the Huygens probe orbiter which will explore Saturn's moon Titan in the year 2004, is set to launch October 13, 1997. At this JPL site, interested users can follow launch activity. It features a large section explaining the mission, and includes a section on the controversial nuclear safety issues involved. Users can read both the Cassini Final and Supplemental Environmental Impact Statements issued by NASA (in 1995 and 1997 respectively). There is also an image section and a kids page, among other features.
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Scout Publication
Date Issued
1997
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Date of Scout Publication
October 10th, 1997
Date Of Record Creation
April 3rd, 2003 at 4:18pm
Date Of Record Release
April 3rd, 2003 at 4:18pm
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