Credit: ESA / Hubble & NASA, L. Stanghellini
This image from the NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows an impressive portrait of M1-63, a beautifully captured example of a bipolar planetary nebula in the constellation of Scutum (the shield).
A nebula like this is formed when the star in the center releases massive amounts of material from its outer layers, leaving behind a spectacular cloud of gas and dust.
It is believed that a binary system of stars in the center of the bipolar nebula can create hourglass or butterfly-like shapes, as shown in this image.
This is because the dying star’s material is guided to its poles with the help of the companion, creating the distinctive double-lobed structure seen in nebulae such as M1-63.
Image: Hubble sees an interstellar interaction
Quote: Image: Hubble Taking Portrait of Nebula (2021, Feb 13) Retrieved Feb 14, 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2021-02-image-hubble-portrait-nebula.html
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