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Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня NGC 2440: кокон нового белого карлика http://variable-stars.ru/db/msg/1915137/eng |
Credit & Copyright: NASA,
ESA,
Hubble;
Processing:
H. Bond
(STScI),
R. Ciardullo
(PSU),
Forrest Hamilton (STScI)
Explanation:
What's that in the center?
Like a
butterfly, a
white dwarf star begins its life by casting off a
cocoon
of gas that enclosed its former self.
In this analogy, however, the
Sun would be a
caterpillar and the ejected shell of gas would become the
prettiest cocoon of all.
In the featured cocoon, the
planetary nebula designated
NGC 2440 contains one of the
hottest white dwarf stars known.
The white dwarf
can be seen as the bright orange dot near the image center.
Our Sun
will eventually become a
white dwarf
butterfly, but not for
another 5 billion years.
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.