Wings of a Butterfly Nebula

Discussion in 'Astronomy, Exobiology, & Cosmology' started by wet1, Jan 12, 2002.

  1. wet1 Wanderer Registered Senior Member

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    M2-9:
    Credit: B. Balick (U. Washington) et al., WFPC2, HST, NASA
    Are stars better appreciated for their art after they die? Actually, stars usually create their most artistic displays as they die. In the case of low-mass stars like our Sun and M2-9 pictured above, the stars transform themselves from normal stars to white dwarfs by casting off their outer gaseous envelopes. The expended gas frequently forms an impressive display called a planetary nebula that fades gradually over thousand of years. M2-9, a butterfly planetary nebula 2100 light-years away shown in representative colors, has wings that tell a strange but incomplete tale. In the center, two stars orbit inside a gaseous disk 10 times the orbit of Pluto. The expelled envelope of the dying star breaks out from the disk creating the bipolar appearance. Much remains unknown about the physical processes that cause planetary nebulae
     
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  3. *stRgrL* Kicks ass Valued Senior Member

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    Woooowwwwww......

    Makes you feel pretty insignificant, heh??

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  5. Tristan Leave your World Behind Valued Senior Member

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    Nickname: The Twin Jet Nebula
     
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  7. Pollux V Ra Bless America Registered Senior Member

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    that thing's...pretty big....
     

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