APOD: 2025 April 15 Б Planetary Nebula NGC 1514 from Webb
Explanation:
What happens when a star runs out of
nuclear fuel?
For stars like
our Sun, the center condenses into a
white dwarf
while the outer atmosphere is expelled into space to appear as a
planetary nebula.
The expelled outer atmosphere of planetary nebula
NGC 1514
appears to be a jumble of bubbles -- when seen in
visible light.
But the view from the
James Webb Space Telescope in
infrared, as
featured here, confirms a different story:
in this light the nebula shows a distinct
hourglass shape,
which is
interpreted as a
cylinder
seen along a diagonal.
If you look closely at the center of the nebula, you can also see a
bright central star that is part of a
binary system.
More observations might better reveal
how this nebula is evolving and how the central stars are
working
together
to produce the interesting cylinder and bubbles observed.
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Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
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rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
