
Hourglass Nebula

by Science Photo Library
Title
Hourglass Nebula
Artist
Science Photo Library
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Star death. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of the 'hourglass'-shaped planetary nebula known as MyCn18. The 'hourglass' shape is thought to derive from the rapid expansion of stellar wind within an expanding cloud of material which is more dense at its equator than at its poles. This material has been ejected by the star as it reached the end of its life as a red giant. The bright white dot near the centre of the frame is the white dwarf remnant of the original star. It's off- centre position is thought to imply the existence of an unseen binary object. This image approximates to true colour.
Uploaded
October 7th, 2018
Embed
Share