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A Glimpse into the Heart of a Dying Star
Thursday, July 18, 2002
By Pedro García-Lario
ESA ISO Data Centre

Henize 3-401.
(Big Pic) & (High-Res TIF Pic).
Image Credit: Hubble Space Telescope -- ESA.<
The image shows two very long cylindrical outflows with intricate thread-like structures and tattered ends. In this image, we are seeing the central star responsible for the beautiful display in the nebula for the first time.

An image taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows one of the most unusually long planetary nebulae found so far. Scientists think planetary nebulae hold the key to understanding how the Universe became enriched with heavier elements so they study them intensively. It is not well-understood how a perfectly round star can turn into such an unusual-looking nebula.

Planetary nebulae occur in a huge variety of shapes and sizes. They are the final stage of a star's life before it ends its days as a burnt-out white dwarf. When it dies, a star rapidly sheds the outer parts of its atmosphere, creating a planetary nebula that exists only as long as the star has fuel to burn.
(More: ESA News Source)
2002 © European Space Agency.

Dan