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Explanation: What's going on inside the head of this nebula? Dubbed the Exposed Cranium Nebula for its similarity to the human brain, what created the nebula remains a mystery. One thought is that the Cranium Nebula, also known as PMR 1, is a planetary nebula surrounding a white dwarf star. In this mode, the outer atmosphere was expelled when the original Sun-like star ran out of central nuclear fuel and contracted. A competing thought is that the central star is much more massive, possibly a Wolf-Rayet star, that is ejecting gas and dust via turbulent stellar winds. Adding to the intrigue is the dark vertical central division and the thin outer gaseous shell. The featured image was taken by the Webb Space Telescope in mid- infrared light, while a second image, included as a rollover, is in near-infrared. Future observations may reveal if this brainy system will quietly just fade from view or, many years from now, suddenly erupt in a powerful supernova.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: planetary nebula
Publications with words: planetary nebula
See also:
- APOD: 2026 March 4 Á Shapley 1: An Annular Planetary Nebula
- APOD: 2026 February 25 Á The Egg Nebula from the Hubble Telescope
- APOD: 2026 February 3 Á Red Spider Planetary Nebula from Webb
- Planetary Nebula Abell 7
- APOD: 2026 January 5 Á The Red Rectangle Nebula from Hubble
- APOD: 2024 April 30 Á GK Per: Nova and Planetary Nebula
- APOD: 2025 August 31 Á NGC 7027: The Pillow Planetary Nebula