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| Ruben's Nebulae - Part 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Planetary Nebulae - dying stars | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Planetary Nebulae M57 (the Dumbbell) and the Helix, ST1001 camera, 14" SC reflector, New Mexico, total exposure times 43 minutes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Helix Nebula, in the constellation Aquarius, is another dying star that has blown off its outer layers, once its central supply of hydrogen is nearly exhausted. The remnant central star is a dense "white dwarf" that can no longer support nuclear reactions. At a distance of 450 light years, it is the closest planetary nebula to earth. The very hot white dwarf ionizes an inner shell of oxygen, which appears blue in this image, and an outer shell of hydrogen, which appears red. |
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| The "Dumbbell Nebula" is the remnant of a star that has gone Nova, blowing off its outer shell of gas. These types of objects were termed "planetary nebula" over 200 years ago because they resembled dim planets through the telescopes of that time. The Dumbbell is 1200 light years distant. |
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| Emission Nebulae - the birthplace of stars | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Cocoon Nebula and Bubble Nebula, ST1001 camera, 14" SC reflector, New Mexico, total exposure times 43 minutes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Cocoon Nebula is a birthplace of new young stars, allowing it to be classified as a “stellar nursery.” A cluster of young stars within the Cocoon have recently evolved out of a large molecular gas cloud, with both the stars and cloud made up mostly of hydrogen. In the center of the Cocoon nebula, a massive “newborn” star emerged about 100,000 years ago, opening a hole within the molecular cloud. The central star provides the energy source that excites the surrounding gas to a glowing red. The nebula is located 4000 light years away in the constellation Cygnus. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| At a distance of 11,300 light years in the constellation Cassiopeia, the Bubble Nebula combines symmetry with irregularity. The nebula is composed of a huge cloud of mostly hydrogen gas measuring 10 light-years across, more than twice the distance of the earth to the nearest star. This gas cloud is being disrupted by a massive bright star emitting a powerful "stellar wind..” This fierce wind displaces the surrounding nebula gas into a shell, which is then ionized by the energetic starlight, causing both the spectacular shell and surrounding nebula to glow! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Music: Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeplin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||