• ADVERTISING
  • ASTRONOMY
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT

@lex

Think. Make. Win.

  • ADVERTISING
  • ASTRONOMY
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT

Spot the Nebula

Snapping a shot of a rather nondescript corner of the sky, I stumbled across a glowing gem in a sea of black. This red giant star – in it’s final death stage is the Ring Nebula (M57). From 2,300 light-years away, the star can be seen blowing off ionized gas into space, creating a spectacular orange and blue halo.

 Ring Nebula M57

Ring Nebula M57

Cropping into the photo you can almost spot the source star.

 M57 close up.

M57 close up.

Gazing slightly away from M57 is a cloud of glowing gas known as the Dumbbell Nebula (M27) – another planetary nebula. Having blown off most of the gas, this star is now a white dwarf (small cool star), in the centre of the nebula. Can you spot it?

 Dumbbell Nebula M27

Dumbbell Nebula M27

Wednesday 10.01.14
Posted by Alex Newman
Newer / Older

lexnewman@icloud.com