Nebulae
Giant Red Gas Bubble in Space
SNR B0509-67.5
I was browsing through images from the Hubble Space Telescope today and came across this beauty. Known as SNR 0509, the giant red gas bubble shown in the image above is the remnant of a violent supernova explosion. It was found in the Large Magellanic Cloud which is a small galaxy that lies about 160,000 light years away from Earth.
Close Up Image of M8 – The Lagoon Nebula
Close Up of the Lagoon Nebula
The Lagoon Nebula, or M8, is an enormous cloud of interstellar gas and dust that can be found in the constellation Sagittarius. It is classified as an emission nebula, but it is also referred to as an H II region (a large, relatively low density area of ionized gas where star formation is occurring). This close-up image of the Lagoon Nebula was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope last September.
The Remains of a Sun-like Star: The Necklace Nebula
The Necklace Nebula
If our sun had a large binary companion, what would it’s remains look like? Quite possibly the Necklace Nebula. This planetary nebula, which contains the remnants of a sun-like star, was recently discovered in 2005 during the Isaac Newton Telescope Photometric H-alpha Survey (IPHAS).
Dramatic Image of the Cone Nebula
The Cone Nebula
This dramatic image of the Cone Nebula was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on April 2, 2002. The Cone Nebula, also known as NGC 2264, is an H II region that can be found in the constellation Monoceros. Its about 2,600 light years away from the Earth.
The Pacman Nebula is Not Eating Stars!
Pacman Nebula
In fact, the Pacman Nebula is actually creating new stars. This nebula, which is also known as NGC 281, is an H II region that can be found in the the constellation Cassiopeia. NGC 281 got it’s name because it looks like the video game character “Pacman”.
