October 8, 2012
Some stars end in silence, some in fire, and some leave behind the raw materials for birthdays.
Spherical Planetary Nebula Abell 39
Birthday · October 8, 2012
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APOD published October 8, 2012. Credit: Adam Block. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Ghostly in appearance, Abell 39 is a remarkably simple, spherical nebula about five light-years across. Well within our own Milky Way galaxy, the cosmic sphere is roughly 7,000 light-years distant toward the constellation Hercules. Abell 39 is a planetary nebula, formed as a once sun-like star's outer atmosphere was expelled over a period of thousands of years. Still visible, the nebula's central star is evolving into a hot white dwarf. Although faint, the nebula's simple geometry has proven to be a boon to astronomers exploring the chemical abundances and life cycles of stars. In this deep image recorded under dark night skies, very distant background galaxies can be found -- some visible right through the nebula itself.
Image credit: Adam Block