[ad_1]
In this new image of the Hubble Space Telescope, the NGC 2022 planetary nebula actually looks like a jellyfish that glows in the depths of space.
(Image credit: ESA / Hubble & NASA, R. Wade)
This beautiful new photo of The Hubble Space Telescope seems to capture a cosmic jellyfish floating in space, but in reality, this structure is not a living creature.
Instead, this object – known as NGC 2022 – shows what happens when an old star, similar in size to the sun, ages and rejects layers of gas. Astronomers call these objects planetary nebulae because in the first low-power telescopes of the 1600s and 1700s they looked a bit like planets. Today, we know the term "planetary nebula"is an abuse of language – this nebula or cloud of gas has nothing to do with the planets.
NGC 2022 is rather a red giant star. This is the next step in evolution after a sun-like star (a star between three and eight masses of the sun) has finished converting hydrogen into helium in its nucleus. using nuclear fusion. Both types of light atoms bind or merge, creating a heavier atom.
Related: The best images of the Hubble Space Telescope of all time!
Finally, stars of this type lack hydrogen in the nucleus. Gravity squeezes the star and raises temperatures during contraction. Once the temperature is high enough, it is possible that helium will fuse into carbon, resulting in the star in a much larger radius than before. This newly enlarged star, called the red giant, then throws its outer layers of gas into space.
"More than half of the mass of such a star can be lost in this way, forming a surrounding gas envelope," said Hubble officials. said in a statement. "At the same time, the star's core contracts and heats up, emitting ultraviolet light that shines the expelled gases."
Related: How to distinguish the types of stars (computer graphics)
The center of the star is visible in the center of the image, emitting a bright yellow-orange light. Its radiation illuminates the surrounding gas clouds, represented in much colder wavelengths of pink and purple.
the the sun is about 4.5 billion years old and about halfway through its phase of burning hydrogen into helium. When its giant red phase occurs, the sun should engulf a large part of the inner solar system, possibly including the Earth. Whatever it is, life should not survive on our planet, but fortunately, this should not happen until about 4.5 billion years ago. Humans have plenty of time to understand interstellar travel and find a new place to live.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
[ad_2]
Source link