Rouge stars moving at high speeds actually "shock" the galaxy, creating dazzling arcs.
In image by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope the star Kappa Cassiopeiae, or HD 2905, is captured moving at speeds 2.5 million miles per hour in relation to nearby objects, a NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory news release reported.
The hot supergiant is accompanied by a red streak in the image. The streak is what is called a "bow shock," these are often captured in front of the universe's fastest-moving stars.
The shock is believed to be about five light-years ahead of Kappa Cassiopeie, which shows the extent of the star's impact on its environment.
The bow shock shows up as a "vivid red" while the green in the image is a result of carbon molecules "polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons." These molecules exist in the dust clouds that are illuminated by surrounding starlight.
"Delicate red filaments run through this infrared nebula, crossing the bow shock. Some astronomers have suggested these filaments may be tracing out features of the magnetic field that runs throughout our galaxy. Since magnetic fields are completely invisible themselves, we rely on chance encounters like this to reveal a little of their structure as they interact with the surrounding dust and gas," the news release reported.
The star can be spotted by the human eye; it is located in the Cassiopeia constellation. The bow shock can only be capture with devices that can see infrared light. Infrared light between of 3.6 and 4.5 microns appears blue, 8.0 microns appears green, and 24 appear red.
"NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Spacecraft operations are based at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Littleton, Colorado," the news release reported.
