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Credit & Copyright: Anglo-Australian Telescope
Board
Explanation:
What's a Wolf-Rayet star, and how did it create that spherical bubble and
sweeping arc?
A
Wolf-Rayet
star is a star that originated with a
mass over 40 times that of our
Sun.
An extremely
hot, luminous star,
it has since expelled shells of material through its strong
stellar
wind which could account for the
bubble shaped nebula that surrounds it.
But astronomers are unsure how the central Wolf-Rayet
created both the bubble and the arc seen above, and
even whether it acted alone in doing so. Together, this bubble and the arc
are known as NGC 2359.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day