The Rotten Egg Planetary Nebula
Explanation:
Not all evolving stars eject gas clouds that look like people.
OH231.8+4.2 was a star much like our
Sun that ran out of nuclear fuel to
fuse in its core.
It has therefore entered the
planetary nebula phase, where it throws off
its outer atmosphere into space leaving a core that will become a
white dwarf star.
Every Sun-like star creates a different planetary nebula though,
and
OH231.8+4.2's looks eerily like a person!
Spectacular
jets of streaming gas can be seen in
this recently released photograph by the Hubble Space Telescope. The gas cloud
has been dubbed the
Rotten Egg Planetary Nebula because it contains
unusually high amounts of
sulfur, an element that, when combined with other
elements, can smell like a rotten egg.
This young
planetary nebula
will likely change its appearance over the
next few thousand years and eventually disperse.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
