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Nature 426, 261-264 (20 November 2003) | doi:10.1038/nature02086; Received 2 July 2003; Accepted 29 September 2003

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A collimated, high-speed outflow from the dying star V Hydrae

R. Sahai1, M. Morris2, G. R. Knapp3, K. Young4 & C. Barnbaum5

  1. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
  2. Division of Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astrophysics, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
  3. Princeton University, Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
  4. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
  5. Valdosta State University, Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences, Valdosta, Georgia 31698, USA

Correspondence to: R. Sahai1 Email: raghvendra.sahai@jpl.nasa.gov

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Stars with masses in the range 1–8 solar masses (Mcircle dot) live ordinary lives for approx109–1010 years, but die extraordinary deaths. First, during their death throes as asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars they eject, over 104–105 years, half or more of their mass in slowly expanding, spherical winds, and then, in a short (a few 100–1,000 years) and poorly understood phase, they are transformed into aspherical planetary nebula. Recent studies support the idea that high-speed, jet-like flows play a crucial role in this transformation1. Evidence for such outflows is indirect, however; this phase is so short that few nearby stars are likely to be caught in the act. Here we report the discovery of a newly launched, high-speed jet-like outflow in the nearby AGB star, V Hydrae. We have detected both proper motions and ongoing evolution in the jet. These results support a model in which the jet is driven by an accretion disk around an unseen, compact companion. We also find a central, dense equatorial disk-like structure which may enable and/or enhance the formation of the accretion disk.

  1. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
  2. Division of Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astrophysics, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
  3. Princeton University, Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
  4. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
  5. Valdosta State University, Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences, Valdosta, Georgia 31698, USA

Correspondence to: R. Sahai1 Email: raghvendra.sahai@jpl.nasa.gov