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Collection:
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NASA Hubble Space Telescope Collection
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NASA Hubble Space Telescope Collection
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Title:
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Beauty in the Eye of Hubble
Title
Beauty in the Eye of Hubble
Title
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Object Name:
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IC 4406
Object_Name
IC 4406
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Object Name:
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Retina Nebula
Object_Name
Retina Nebula
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General Information:
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What is Hubble Heritage?
A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site.
Back to top [ #top ]
General_Information
What is Hubble Heritage?
A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site.
Back to top [ #top ]
General Information
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Acknowledgement:
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Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement
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Acknowledgement:
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* Acknowledgment:* C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University)
Acknowledgement
* Acknowledgment:* C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University)
Acknowledgement
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Fast Facts:
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Technical facts about this news release: About the Object Object Name: IC 4406; "Retina Nebula" Object Description: Bipolar Planetary Nebula Position (J2000): R.A. 14h 22m 25.9s Dec. -44° 09' 00" Constellation: Lupus Distance: About 600 parsecs (1900 light-years) Dimensions: The diameter across the short dimension of the nebula is 0.08 parsecs (0.25 light-years) while the long dimension is 3.6 times as large. About the Data Instrument: WFPC2 Exposure Date(s): June 28, 2001; January 19, 2002 Exposure Time: 1.3 hours Principal Astronomers: C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University) , B. Balick (U. Washington), A. Burkert (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy-Heidelberg ), A. Hajian (USNO), W. Henney (UNAM, Morelia) Hubble Heritage Team: K. Noll, H. Bond, C. Christian, L. Frattare, F. Hamilton, J. Lee, Z. Levay, P. Royle (STScI) About the Image Image Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Release Date: June 13, 2002 Filters: F502N ([O III]), F656N (H-alpha), F658N ([N II]) Orientation: The Retina Nebula: Dying Star IC 4406 [ http://imgsrc.hubbl…]
Fast_Facts
Technical facts about this news release: About the Object Object Name: IC 4406; "Retina Nebula" Object Description: Bipolar Planetary Nebula Position (J2000): R.A. 14h 22m 25.9s Dec. -44° 09' 00" Constellation: Lupus Distance: About 600 parsecs (1900 light-years) Dimensions: The diameter across the short dimension of the nebula is 0.08 parsecs (0.25 light-years) while the long dimension is 3.6 times as large. About the Data Instrument: WFPC2 Exposure Date(s): June 28, 2001; January 19, 2002 Exposure Time: 1.3 hours Principal Astronomers: C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University) , B. Balick (U. Washington), A. Burkert (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy-Heidelberg ), A. Hajian (USNO), W. Henney (UNAM, Morelia) Hubble Heritage Team: K. Noll, H. Bond, C. Christian, L. Frattare, F. Hamilton, J. Lee, Z. Levay, P. Royle (STScI) About the Image Image Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Release Date: June 13, 2002 Filters: F502N ([O III]), F656N (H-alpha), F658N ([N II]) Orientation: The Retina Nebula: Dying Star IC 4406 [ http://imgsrc.hubbl…] Fast Facts
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*Image Type:*: Astronomical
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*Image Type:*: Astronomical
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*Release Date*:June 13, 2002 12:00 AM (EDT)
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*Release Date*:June 13, 2002 12:00 AM (EDT)
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-2002-14a
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-2002-14a
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*Title*:Beauty in the Eye of Hubble
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*Title*:Beauty in the Eye of Hubble
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*Description*:
A dying star, IC 4406, dubbed the "Retina Nebula" is revealed in this month's Hubble Heritage image.
Like many other so-called planetary nebulae, IC 4406 exhibits a high degree of symmetry; the left and right halves of the Hubble image are nearly mirror images of the other. If we could fly around IC 4406 in a starship, we would see that the gas and dust form a vast donut of material streaming outward from the dying star. From Earth, we are viewing the donut from the side. This side view allows us to see the intricate tendrils of dust that have been compared to the eye's retina. In other planetary nebulae, like the Ring Nebula (NGC 6720), we view the donut from the top.
The donut of material confines the intense radiation coming from the remnant of the dying star. Gas on the inside of the donut is ionized by light from the central star and glows. Light from oxygen atoms is rendered blue in this image; hydrogen is shown as green, and nitrogen as red. The range of color in the final image shows the differences in concentration of these three gases in the nebula.
Unseen in the Hubble image is a larger zone of neutral gas that is not emitting visible light, but which can be seen by radio telescopes.
One of the most interesting features of IC 4406 is the irregular lattice of dark lanes that criss-cross the center of the nebula. These lanes are about 160 astronomical units wide (1 astronomical unit is the distance between the Earth and Sun). They are located right at the boundary between the hot glowing gas that produces the visual light imaged here and the neutral gas seen with radio telescopes. We see the lanes in silhouette because they have a density of dust and gas that is a thousand times higher than the rest of the nebula. The dust lanes are like a rather open mesh veil that has been wrapped around the bright donut.
The fate of these dense knots of material is unknown. Will they survive the nebula's expansion and become dark denizens of the space between the stars or simply dissipate?
This image is a composite of data taken by Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 in June 2001 by Bob O'Dell (Vanderbilt University) and collaborators and in January 2002 by The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI). Filters used to create this color image show oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen gas glowing in this object.
note
*Description*:
A dying star, IC 4406, dubbed the "Retina Nebula" is revealed in this month's Hubble Heritage image.
Like many other so-called planetary nebulae, IC 4406 exhibits a high degree of symmetry; the left and right halves of the Hubble image are nearly mirror images of the other. If we could fly around IC 4406 in a starship, we would see that the gas and dust form a vast donut of material streaming outward from the dying star. From Earth, we are viewing the donut from the side. This side view allows us to see the intricate tendrils of dust that have been compared to the eye's retina. In other planetary nebulae, like the Ring Nebula (NGC 6720), we view the donut from the top.
The donut of material confines the intense radiation coming from the remnant of the dying star. Gas on the inside of the donut is ionized by light from the central star and glows. Light from oxygen atoms is rendered blue in this image; hydrogen is shown as green, and nitrogen as red. The range of color in the final image shows the differences in concentration of these three gases in the nebula.
Unseen in the Hubble image is a larger zone of neutral gas that is not emitting visible light, but which can be seen by radio telescopes.
One of the most interesting features of IC 4406 is the irregular lattice of dark lanes that criss-cross the center of the nebula. These lanes are about 160 astronomical units wide (1 astronomical unit is the distance between the Earth and Sun). They are located right at the boundary between the hot glowing gas that produces the visual light imaged here and the neutral gas seen with radio telescopes. We see the lanes in silhouette because they have a density of dust and gas that is a thousand times higher than the rest of the nebula. The dust lanes are like a rather open mesh veil that has been wrapped around the bright donut.
The fate of these dense knots of material is unknown. Will they survive the nebula's expansion and become dark denizens of the space between the stars or simply dissipate?
This image is a composite of data taken by Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 in June 2001 by Bob O'Dell (Vanderbilt University) and collaborators and in January 2002 by The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI). Filters used to create this color image show oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen gas glowing in this object.
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Sun
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Sun
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Earth
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Earth
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Camera 2
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Planck
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Visible Light
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Visible Light
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Aura
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Aura
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Lupus
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Lupus
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Washington
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Washington
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Hamilton
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Hamilton
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Washington, D.C.
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Washington, D.C.
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January 2002
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January 2002
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June 28, 2001
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June 28, 2001
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January 19, 2002
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January 19, 2002
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June 13, 2002
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June 13, 2002
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June 2001
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June 2001
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2002
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2002
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2001
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2001
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UID:
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SPD-HUBBLE-STScI-200 2-14a
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SPD-HUBBLE-STScI-200 2-14a
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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Release Date:
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June 13, 2002 12:00 AM (EDT)
Release_Date
June 13, 2002 12:00 AM (EDT)
Release Date
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