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Credit & Copyright: Anglo-Australian Telescope
Board
Explanation:
After a Sun-like
star can no longer support
fusion in its core,
the center condenses into a
white dwarf while the outer atmospheric layers are
expelled into space and appear as a
planetary nebula. This particular
planetary nebula has a quite strange and
chaotic structure. The inner part
of this nebula contains an unusual expanding ring of gas that we see nearly
edge-on. The exact mechanism that expels the
planetary nebula gas is a
current topic of astronomical speculation and research.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: planetary nebula
Publications with words: planetary nebula
See also: