The Egg Nebula in Polarized Light
Explanation:
Where is the center of the unusual
Egg Nebula?
Like a
baby chick pecking its way out of an egg,
the star in the center of the
Egg Nebula is casting away
shells of gas and dust as it slowly transforms itself into a
white dwarf star.
The
Egg Nebula is a rapidly evolving
pre-planetary nebula
spanning about one
light year toward the
constellation of
Cygnus.
Thick
dust, though,
blocks the center star from view,
while the dust shells further out reflect light from this star.
Light vibrating in the
plane defined by each dust grain, the central star,
and the observer is
preferentially reflected, causing an effect known as
polarization.
Measuring the orientation of the
polarized light
for the
Egg Nebula gives clues to location of the hidden source.
The
above image taken by the
Advanced Camera for Surveys on the
Hubble Space Telescope is false-color coded to
highlight the orientation of polarization.
Have you seen this week's:
HEASARC Picture of the Week?
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.
