Bright Planetary Nebula NGC 7027 from Hubble
Explanation:
It is one of the brightest planetary nebulae on the sky -- what should it be named?
First discovered in 1878, nebula
NGC 7027 can be seen toward the
constellation of the Swan (Cygnus) with a
standard backyard telescope.
Partly because it appears there as only an indistinct spot,
it is rarely referred to with a moniker.
When imaged with the Earth-orbiting
Hubble Space Telescope,
however, great details are revealed.
Studying Hubble images of
NGC 7027
have led to the
understanding
that it is a
planetary nebula
that began expanding about
600 years ago,
and that the cloud of gas and dust is unusually massive as it
appears to contain about three times the mass of our Sun.
Pictured here in assigned colors, the resolved, layered,
and dust-laced features of NGC 7027 might remind
sky enthusiasts of a familiar icon that could be the basis for an informal name.
A
leading previous suggestion was the
Pillow Nebula, but please feel free to
make new suggestions -- for example, in an
online APOD discussion
forum.
Free APOD Lecture Tonight near Washington, DC:
Starting at 7 pm at the National Harbor
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.
