NGC 7008: The Fetus Nebula
Explanation:
Compact and round, NGC 7008 is recognized as a planetary nebula
about 2,800 light-years distant in the
nebula rich constellation of Cygnus.
This
impressive
telescopic view shows off NGC 7008's remarkable
colors and details by the skillfull combination of broad band and
narrow band images from two different telescopes with about
12 hours of total exposure time.
The intriguing
assortment of features
within the nebula's approximately 1 light-year
diameter suggest its popular name, the Fetus Nebula, but
planetary nebulae
are not associated with star birth.
Instead, nebulae like NGC 7008 are produced during a
brief phase
that sun-like stars pass through toward the end of
their lives.
Ejecting their outer layers, the stars cool to eventually
become
white dwarf stars,
like the star seen near the center of NGC 7008.
This colorful image also includes an unrelated but still lovely
gold and blue binary star system just
below NGC 7008.
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