Astronomers utilizing the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have produced an excellent picture of a planetary nebula known as NGC 6891.
This Hubble picture exhibits NGC 6891, a planetary nebula positioned 11,784 light-years away within the constellation of Delphinus. Image credit score: NASA / ESA / A. Hajian, University of Waterloo / H. Bond, Pennsylvania State University / B. Balick, University of Washington / Gladys Kober, NASA & Catholic University of America.
NGC 6891 is a brilliant, asymmetrical planetary nebula within the northern constellation of Delphinus.
Also often called BD+12 4266, HD 192563 and IRAS 20127+1233, the nebula lies at a distance of 11,784 light-years.
NGC 6891 was found on September 22, 1884 by the English astronomer Ralph Copeland.
The object is made up of fuel that’s been ionized by a central white dwarf, which stripped electrons from NGC 6891’s hydrogen atoms.
As the energized electrons revert from their higher-energy state to a lower-energy state by recombining with the hydrogen nuclei, they emit vitality within the type of mild, inflicting the nebula’s fuel to glow.
“The new Hubble image reveals a wealth of structure, including a spherical outer halo that is expanding faster than the inner nebula, and at least two ellipsoidal shells that are orientated differently,” Hubble astronomers mentioned.
“The image also reveals filaments and knots in the nebula’s interior, surrounding the central white dwarf star.”
From their motions, the astronomers estimated that one of many shells is 4,800 years previous whereas the outer halo is a few 28,000 years previous, indicating a collection of outbursts from the dying star at totally different instances.
“Hubble studied NGC 6891 as part of efforts to gauge the distances to nebulae, and to learn more about how their structures formed and evolved,” the researchers famous.