Posted on 06/07/2013 4:10:31 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: The bright clusters and nebulae of planet Earth's night sky are often named for flowers or insects. Though its wingspan covers over 3 light-years, NGC 6302 is no exception. With an estimated surface temperature of about 250,000 degrees C, the dying central star of this particular planetary nebula has become exceptionally hot, shining brightly in ultraviolet light but hidden from direct view by a dense torus of dust. This sharp and colorful close-up of the dying star's nebula was recorded in 2009 by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3, installed during the final shuttle servicing mission. Cutting across a bright cavity of ionized gas, the dust torus surrounding the central star is near the center of this view, almost edge-on to the line-of-sight. Molecular hydrogen has been detected in the hot star's dusty cosmic shroud. NGC 6302 lies about 4,000 light-years away in the arachnologically correct constellation of the Scorpion (Scorpius).
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team]
Oooh, nebula.
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Sooooooo pretty!
Did this star go supernova? Or will it go supernova sometime in the future?
So we just happened to have the correct angle on this one. It probably looks like a circle from another angle. Something blowed up real good.
One of my Faves.
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