Nebulae
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”.
Orion Nebula Close Up
Orion Nebula Close Up
The other day, I posted a picture of the Orion Nebula that I took myself, using my Nikon D300 with a 200 mm lens. I thought you would enjoy seeing how the Hubble Space Telescope views this colorful nebula.
A White Dwarf Makes a Butterfly
The Butterfly Nebula
NCG 6302 is known as the Butterfly Nebula. What makes this nebula so intriguing is that is has two distinct lobes – the butterfly wings – that surround one of the hottest white dwarf stars yet detected. The central star of this nebula is estimated to be over 220,000 degrees Celsius.