Unraveling the enigmatic nature of the turbulent interaction zone between the circumstellar and interstellar medium around the well-known supergiant Beteleuse
Evolved stars are the birthplaces of the interstellar gas and solid dust particles. Such stars lose mass througha stellar wind, which is slow and dusty for cool giants and supergiants, or through impressive supernova explo-sions. However, recent observations with the PACS and SPIRE photometers reveal that the encounter betweenthese slow and dusty winds and the interstellar medium is as spectacular as supernova explosions: multiple arcs,bar-like structures and different kind of instabilities (Rayleigh-Taylor and Kelvin-Helmholtz) are detected. Themost outstanding example concerns the well-known supergiant Betelgeuse. However, with the current set ofHerschel observations, it is impossible to dene the exact physical mechanism causing the observed infraredemission. We propose to obtain PACS O I and HIFI C II spectroscopic observations at different pointings inthe turbulent wind interaction zone around Betelgeuse. The proposed DDT observations would only take 3.1 hrand would give the astronomical community the rst possibility to study spectroscopically the different dynam-ical and chemical processes partaking in the interaction zone between circumstellar and interstellar material.The derived spectroscopic information will be valuable to the whole community in preparation of OT2.
Publication
Instrument
HIFI_HifiPoint_dbs, PACS_PacsLineSpec_point
Temporal Coverage
2011-02-28T18:49:34Z/2011-03-18T17:25:48Z
Version
SPG v14.2.0
Mission Description
Herschel was launched on 14 May 2009! It is the fourth cornerstone mission in the ESA science programme. With a 3.5 m Cassegrain telescope it is the largest space telescope ever launched. It is performing photometry and spectroscopy in approximately the 55-671 µm range, bridging the gap between earlier infrared space missions and groundbased facilities.
European Space Agency, decin et al., 2011, 'Unraveling the enigmatic nature of the turbulent interaction zone between the circumstellar and interstellar medium around the well-known supergiant Beteleuse', SPG v14.2.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-193qaf8
