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Mira star and tail, ultraviolet image
Mira star and tail, ultraviolet image. This tail of stellar material (blue) is over 13 light years long, and is being left by the star Mira (far right). It is thought that this shed material may one day form new stars and planets. Mira is a large red giant star near the end of its life. It is ejecting the equivalent of the Earth's mass every 10 years. It took 30,000 years for it to move this distance and form the tail seen here. The tail is visible because the ejected gas and dust mixes with the interstellar gas, heating up and emitting ultraviolet rays. Mira, 350 light years from Earth, is located in the constellation of Cetus. Image obtained in 2006 by NASA's GALEX (Galaxy Evolution Explorer) satellite. For a closer view of the star, see R670/226.
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