NGC 6369: A Donut Shaped Nebula
Explanation:
Why isn't the star in the center of the nebula?
NGC 6369 appears to be a fairly ordinary
planetary nebula. It can be seen with a
good telescope in the constellation of
Ophiuchus. The gas expelled by the
central star is bunched in the
shape of a donut or cylinder.
During the
planetary nebula phase,
the central star sheds its
outer atmosphere as it is evolving to become a
white dwarf star. The
above image was taken with the
Hubble Space Telescope.
A closer look at
NGC 6369 indicates that the
central star is closer to a dimmer edge
of the nebula than to the opposing brighter edge.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
