Ultra-Violet light illuminates and radiates from many cosmic objects. Here we are in Year 2007; and, for the first time, long light tails following a known star are discovered. This star is called a "red giant", nonetheless, its true nature is seen by radiated ultra-violet light.
SPEEDING BULLET STAR LEAVES ENORMOUS STREAK ACROSS SKY
NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has spotted an amazingly long comet-like tail behind a star streaking through space at supersonic speeds. The star, named Mira after the Latin word for "wonderful," has been a favorite of astronomers for about 400 years. It is a fast-moving, older star called a red giant that sheds massive amounts of surface material.
The space-based Galaxy Evolution Explorer scanned the popular star during its ongoing survey of the entire sky in ultraviolet light. Astronomers then noticed what looked like a comet with a gargantuan tail. In fact, material blowing off Mira is forming a wake 13 light-years long, or about 20,000 times the average distance of Pluto from the sun. Nothing like this has ever been seen before around a star.
