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The NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced a spectacular image of a planetary nebula called NGC 5307.
This Hubble image shows the NGC 5307 planetary nebula. The color image was made from separate exposures taken in the visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum with the Hubble Advanced Camera (ACS). It is based on data obtained through two filters. The color results from assigning different shades to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image Credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / R. Wade et al.
NGC 5307 is located 10,551 light-years from Earth in the Centaurus constellation of the southern hemisphere.
Also known as ESO 221-11 or Hen 2-98, this planetary nebula was discovered by the English astronomer John Herschel on April 15, 1836.
"Planetary nebulae such as NGC 5307 are the last step of a star similar to that of the Sun," said Hubble.
"As such, these objects allow us to glimpse the future of our own solar system."
"A star like our Sun is going, at the end of its life, to turn into a red giant."
Stars are supported by nuclear fusion that occurs in their nucleus, which creates energy.
This process is constantly trying to tear the star. Only the gravity of the star prevents this from happening.
"At the end of the red giant phase of a star, these forces are out of balance," the researchers said.
"Without enough energy created by fusion, the star's nucleus collapses on itself, while the surface layers are ejected to the outside."
"After that, all that remains of the star is what we see here: shiny outer layers surrounding a white dwarf star, the remains of the core of the giant red star.
"This is not however the end of the evolution of this star – these outer layers are still moving and cooling."
"In a few thousand years, they will have dissipated, and it will only remain to see the white dwarf weakly shining."
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