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Planetary Nebula NGC 2440
Planetary nebula NGC 2440 is a relic of a star once like our Sun that has cast off its outer layers of gas, forming a colorful cocoon around the star's remaining core.
Our Hubble Space Telescope spotted this planetary nebula in the constellation of Orion. It's really a vast orb of gas in space, with its aging star in the center... but what does it look like to you? 🤔
When stars like the Sun grow advanced in age, they expand and glow red. These so-called red giants then begin to lose their outer layers of material into space. More than half of such a star's mass can be shed in this manner, forming a shell of surrounding gas. At the same time, the star's core shrinks and grows hotter, emitting ultraviolet light that causes the expelled gases to glow.
Wow - the visible star at the center of the planetary nebula is an A-type giant star. It's the companion of the white dwarf which spawned the nebula itself. (Loved the pic so much I had to read about the object a little).
NGC 1514 // Marc Fischer
The Bearclaw Nebula, Sh2-200 // Dionysus
Life cycle of our Sun, from beginning to end~