M2-9 Wings of a Butterfly Nebula

[Capt.Kangaroo]

M2-9: Wings of a Butterfly Nebula

Are stars better appreciated for their art after they die? Actually, stars usually create their most artistic displays as they die. In the case of low-mass stars like our Sun and M2-9 pictured above, the stars transform themselves from normal stars to white dwarfs by casting off their outer gaseous envelopes. The expended gas frequently forms an impressive display called a planetary nebula that fades gradually over thousands of years. M2-9, a butterfly planetary nebula 2100 light-years away shown in representative colors, has wings that tell a strange but incomplete tale. In the center, two stars orbit inside a gaseous disk 10 times the orbit of Pluto. The expelled envelope of the dying star breaks out from the disk creating the bipolar appearance. Much remains unknown about the physical processes that cause planetary nebulae.




Image Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA - Processing: Judy Schmidt

[ilan]

Gorgeous image, Cap! Thanks...

[ilan]

I suspect the gravitational pull of those two stars at the center keep the remnants from "blowing away" quickly.

[Capt.Kangaroo]

I suspect the gravitational pull of those two stars at the center keep the remnants from "blowing away" quickly.

I would suspect you are correct.
Thanks ilan for all you contribute to this thread, Ive been busy with a sick parent and you and asft have kept this thing rolling better than I thought possible.

[ilan]

Glad to do it, Cap. I sincerely hope things are on the mend. I wish you and your ailing parent the best, my friend!

[Capt.Kangaroo]

Glad to do it, Cap. I sincerely hope things are on the mend. I wish you and your ailing parent the best, my friend!

thanks buddy, I appreciate that.