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Herschel
Space Observatory

An ESA Mission
with Participation from NASA

Nhsc2010-011a

Water Around a Carbon Star

This Herschel image shows IRC+10216, also known as CW Leonis -- a star rich in carbon where astronomers were surprised to find water. This color-coded image shows the star, surrounded by a clumpy envelope of dust, at three infrared wavelengths, taken by Herschel's spectral and photometric imaging receiver (SPIRE) and photodetector array camera and spectrometer (PACS). Blue shows light of 160 microns; green shows 250 microns; and red shows 350 microns.

Image Details
Date
September 1, 2010
ID
nhsc2010-011a
Type
Observation
Credit
ESA/PACS/SPIRE/ Consortia
Object Details
Name
IRC+10216
Color Mapping
Telescope Spectral Band Color Assigment Wavelength
Herschel (PACS) Infrared Blue 160.0 µm
Herschel (SPIRE) Infrared Green 250.0 µm
Herschel (SPIRE) Infrared Red 350.0 µm