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Credit & Copyright: Don Goldman
Explanation:
Very faint planetary nebula Abell 7 is some 1,800 light-years distant,
just south of Orion in planet Earth's skies in the constellation
Lepus, The Hare.
Surrounded by Milky Way stars and near the line-of-sight to
distant background galaxies, its
generally
simple spherical shape, about 8 light-years
in diameter, is outlined in
this deep telescopic image.
Within its confines are beautiful, more complex details enhanced
by the use of narrowband filters.
Emission from hydrogen and nitrogen is shown in reddish hues with oxygen
emission mapped to a bluish-green color, giving Abell 7 a more natural
appearance that would otherwise be much too faint to be appreciated
by eye.
A planetary
nebula represents a very brief final phase
in stellar evolution that our own Sun will experience 5 billion
years hence,
as the nebula's central, once sun-like star
shrugs off its outer layers.
Abell 7 itself is estimated to be 20,000 years old.
Its central star is seen here as a fading white dwarf some
10 billion years old.
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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
Publications with keywords: planetary nebula
Publications with words: planetary nebula
See also:
- APOD: 2024 February 12 Á HFG1 & Abell 6: Planetary Nebulae
- APOD: 2023 December 24 Á NGC 2440: Cocoon of a New White Dwarf
- APOD: 2023 October 3 Á MyCn 18: The Engraved Hourglass Planetary Nebula
- NGC 1360: The Robin's Egg Nebula
- APOD: 2023 April 16 Á M2 9: Wings of a Butterfly Nebula
- The Medusa Nebula
- Jones Emberson 1