Planetary Nebula Mz3: The Ant Nebula
Explanation:
Why isn't this ant a big sphere?
Planetary nebula Mz3 is being cast off by a star similar to our
Sun
that is, surely, round.
Why then would the gas that is
streaming away create an
ant-shaped nebula that is distinctly not round?
Clues might include
the high 1000-kilometer per second speed of the expelled gas, the
light-year long length of the structure, and the
magnetism
of the star
featured here at the nebula's center.
One possible answer is that
Mz3
is hiding a second, dimmer star that
orbits close in to the bright star.
A competing
hypothesis holds that the central star's own spin and
magnetic field are channeling the gas.
Since the central star
appears
to be so similar to our own Sun,
astronomers hope that
increased understanding of the history of
this giant space ant
can provide useful insight into the likely future of our own
Sun and
Earth.
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.
