Red Giant Star V Hydrae's 6 Mysterious Smoking Rings Contain Carbon, Researchers Say

Researchers said the six mystery rings that V Hydrae (V Hya), a dying star, turns out to be comprised of carbon.

V Hya, a carbon-rich star in the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB), is located 1300 light-years from Earth in the Hydra constellation.

V Hydrae has always piqued my curiosity among millions of stars of similar mass to the Sun because of its unusual behavior.

Plasma explosions every 8.5 years and the presence of an almost undetectable companion star are two of them.

Researchers further detailed their report, "The Rapidly Evolving Agb Star, V Hya: Alma Finds a Multi-Ring Circus With High-Velocity Outflows," in The Astrophysical Journal.

Hey DUDE: Mysterious Death of Carbon Star Plays Out Like Six-Ring Circus

(Photo : ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Dagnello (NRAO/AUI/NSF))
The carbon-rich star V Hydrae is in its final act, and so far, its death has proved magnificent and violent. Scientists studying the star have discovered six outflowing rings (shown here in composite), and other structures created by the explosive mass ejection of matter into space.

V Hydrae: Scientists Find Dying Star

V Hydrae was discovered as it was losing its atmosphere. Most red stars in advanced evolutionary phases will experience this. However, researchers should highlight the oddity of this star.

In a statement, Mark Morris, who served as an astronomer at UCLA and co-author of the study: "This is the first and only time that a series of expanding rings has been seen around a star that is in its death throes - a series of expanding 'smoke rings' that we have calculated are being blown every few hundred years."

V Hydrae's very rapid material discharges were first noticed in 1981. The researchers discovered a jet-like stream released at great speed from the star in 2022. The identification of further specific features from the star adds to our understanding of stellar evolution stages.

ALSO READ: Red Giant Star V Hydrae Mysteriously Emits 6 Smoking Rings, Astronomers Explain Bizarre Phenomenon

V Hydrae's Six Odd Carbon Rings

Scientists have discovered six odd and thick carbon rings that they believe were discharged over thousands of years.

Based on ALMA data that Republic World obtained, the star has been determined to be an Asymptomatic Giant Branch (AGB) star, which is a stage that over 90% of stars must go through.

Existing ideas propose that a star sheds its outer layers during the AGB phase, after which its core falls into a white dwarf. V Hya, however, claims that this is not always the case.

V Hydrae's Six Ring Dude Explained

Science Alert said the six rings extended from V Hydrae for over 2,100 years, contributing materials and promoting the creation of a distorted, highly thick disk-like structure surrounding the star. Researchers gave this structure the moniker DUDE (Disk Undergoing Dynamical Expansion).

There are two hourglass-shaped structures and one that looks like a jet in addition to the set of rings grouped on a distorted disc. They grow at rates of almost half a million miles per hour (240 kilometers per second).

Large hourglass formations have previously been seen in planetary nebulae such as MyCn 18 and the Crab Nebula's southern part. Never in a V Hydrae-like AGB star.

A Stunning Star

The situation of V Hydrae is particularly intriguing because Sun is destined to enter the AGB phase and become a white dwarf before it begins to burn carbon. Italian news site Astrospace said the ability to investigate the mystery gas rings and growing material formations in more depth might reveal fresh information about our star's fate.

The study's combination of infrared, optical, and ultraviolet data has already produced a full image of what might be one of the Milky Way's most spectacular sights at various wavelengths. We're eager to learn more about its future improvements.