标签: planetary nebula

猫眼星云: 可见光及X射线波段的景观

2024年1月7日 The Cat’s Eye Nebula in Optical and X-ray Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Chandra X-ray Obs.; Processing & Copyright: Rudy Pohl Explanation: To some it looks like a cat’s eye. To others, perhaps like a giant cosmic conch shell. It is actually one of the brightest and most highly detailed planetary nebula known, compo...

NGC 2440: 新白矮星的茧

2023年12月24日 NGC 2440: Cocoon of a New White Dwarf Image Credit: 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...

MyCn 18: 沙漏星云

2023年10月3日 MyCn 18: The Engraved Hourglass Planetary Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing & Copyright: Harshwardhan Pathak Explanation: Do you see the hourglass shape — or does it see you? If you can picture it, the rings of MyCn 18 trace the outline of an hourglass — although one with an unusual eye in it...

NGC 1360:知更鸟蛋星云

2023年8月5日 NGC 1360: The Robin’s Egg Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Dong Liang Explanation: This pretty nebula lies some 1,500 light-years away, its shape and color in this telescopic view reminiscent of a robin’s egg. The cosmic cloud spans about 3 light-years, nestled securely within the boundaries of the southern constellation Fornax. Re...

M15: 紧实的球状星团

2023年6月15日 M15: Dense Globular Star Cluster Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Processing: Ehsan Ebrahimian Explanation: Messier 15 is an immense swarm of over 100,000 stars. A 13 billion year old relic of the early formative years of our galaxy it’s one of about 170 globular star clusters that still roam the halo of the Milky Way. Centere...

M27: 哑铃星云

2023年5月30日 M27: The Dumbbell Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Patrick A. Cosgrove Explanation: Is this what will become of our Sun? Quite possibly. The first hint of our Sun‘s future was discovered inadvertently in 1764. At that time, Charles Messier was compiling a list of diffuse objects not to be confused with comets. The 27th object on Messier...

猫眼星云的大视野深场影像

2023年5月25日 Cat’s Eye Wide and Deep Image Credit & Copyright: Jean-François Bax, Guillaume Gruntz Explanation: The Cat’s Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is one of the best known planetary nebulae in the sky. Its more familiar outlines are seen in the brighter central region of the nebula in this impressive wide-angle view. But this wide and deep image ...

加法夏望远镜的螺旋星云

2023年5月7日 The Helix Nebula from CFHT Image Credit: CFHT, Coelum, MegaCam, J.-C. Cuillandre (CFHT) & G. A. Anselmi (Coelum) Explanation: Will our Sun look like this one day? The Helix Nebula is one of brightest and closest examples of a planetary nebula, a gas cloud created at the end of the life of a Sun-like star. The outer gasses of the star expelled ...

M2-9: 蝴蝶星云的翅膀

2023年4月16日 M2-9: Wings of a Butterfly Nebula Image Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA; Processing: Judy Schmidt Explanation: Are stars better appreciated for their art after they die? Actually, stars usually create their most artistic displays as they die. In the case of low-mass stars like our Sun and M2-9 pictured here, the stars transform themselves...

银河中心的电波弧

2023年4月3日 The Galactic Center Radio Arc Image Credit: Ian Heywood (Oxford U.), SARAO; Explanation: What causes this unusual curving structure near the center of our Galaxy? The long parallel rays slanting across the top of the featured radio image are known collectively as the Galactic Center Radio Arc and point out from the Galactic plane. The Radio Arc is ...