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Collection:
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NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Ring of Stellar Death
Title
Ring of Stellar Death
Title
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Description:
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This false-color image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a dying star (center) surrounded by a cloud of glowing gas and dust. Thanks to Spitzer's dust-piercing infrared eyes, the new image also highlights a never-before-seen feature -- a giant ring of material (red) slightly offset from the cloud's core . This clumpy ring consists of material that was expelled from the aging star.
The star and its cloud halo constitute a "planetary nebula" called NGC 246. When a star like our own Sun begins to run out of fuel, its core shrinks and heats up, boiling off the star's outer layers. Leftover material shoots outward, expanding in shells around the star. This ejected material is then bombarded with ultraviolet light from the central star's fiery surface, producing huge, glowing clouds -- planetary nebulas -- that look like giant jellyfish in space.
In this image, the expelled gases appear green, and the ring of expelled material appears red. Astronomers believe the ring is likely made of hydrogen molecules that were ejected from the star in the form of atoms, then cooled to make hydrogen pairs. The new data will help explain how planetary nebulas take shape, and how they nourish future generations of stars.
This image composite was taken on Dec. 6, 2003, by Spitzer's infrared array camera, and is composed of images obtained at four wavelengths: 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange) and 8 microns (red).
Description
This false-color image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a dying star (center) surrounded by a cloud of glowing gas and dust. Thanks to Spitzer's dust-piercing infrared eyes, the new image also highlights a never-before-seen feature -- a giant ring of material (red) slightly offset from the cloud's core . This clumpy ring consists of material that was expelled from the aging star.
The star and its cloud halo constitute a "planetary nebula" called NGC 246. When a star like our own Sun begins to run out of fuel, its core shrinks and heats up, boiling off the star's outer layers. Leftover material shoots outward, expanding in shells around the star. This ejected material is then bombarded with ultraviolet light from the central star's fiery surface, producing huge, glowing clouds -- planetary nebulas -- that look like giant jellyfish in space.
In this image, the expelled gases appear green, and the ring of expelled material appears red. Astronomers believe the ring is likely made of hydrogen molecules that were ejected from the star in the form of atoms, then cooled to make hydrogen pairs. The new data will help explain how planetary nebulas take shape, and how they nourish future generations of stars.
This image composite was taken on Dec. 6, 2003, by Spitzer's infrared array camera, and is composed of images obtained at four wavelengths: 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange) and 8 microns (red).
Description
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Release Date:
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2004/08/09
Release_Date
2004/08/09
Release Date
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Press Release:
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Press_Release
Press Release
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Release Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/J. Hora (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Release_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/J. Hora (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Release Credit
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Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/J. Hora (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/J. Hora (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Image Credit
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Object name:
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NGC 246
Object_name
NGC 246
Object name
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Object type:
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Planetary Nebula
Object_type
Planetary Nebula
Object type
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Position (J2000):
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*RA: *00h47m4.52s *Dec: *-11d52m19.00s
Position_(J2000)
*RA: *00h47m4.52s *Dec: *-11d52m19.00s
Position (J2000)
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Distance:
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1,800 light-years or 550 parsecs
Distance
1,800 light-years or 550 parsecs
Distance
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Constellation:
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Cetus
Constellation
Cetus
Constellation
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Wavelength:
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3.6 (blue), 4.5 (green), 5.8 (orange), and 8.0 (red) microns
Wavelength
3.6 (blue), 4.5 (green), 5.8 (orange), and 8.0 (red) microns
Wavelength
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Image scale:
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5.2x5.2 arcmin
Image_scale
5.2x5.2 arcmin
Image scale
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Observers:
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Joseph Hora - Principal Investigator (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Lori Allen (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Lynne Deutsch (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Giovanni Fazio (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
William Latter (Spitzer Science Center)
Massimo Marengo (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Judith Pipher (University of Rochester)
Observers
Joseph Hora - Principal Investigator (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Lori Allen (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Lynne Deutsch (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Giovanni Fazio (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
William Latter (Spitzer Science Center)
Massimo Marengo (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
Judith Pipher (University of Rochester)
Observers
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Instrument:
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IRAC
Instrument
IRAC
Instrument
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Exposure Date:
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06 Dec 2003
Exposure_Date
06 Dec 2003
Exposure Date
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Exposure Time:
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214 seconds
Exposure_Time
214 seconds
Exposure Time
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Orientation:
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North is 58.5 degrees clockwise from up
Orientation
North is 58.5 degrees clockwise from up
Orientation
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Magnitude:
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11.78
Magnitude
11.78
Magnitude
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facet_what:
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Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Cetus
facet_what
Cetus
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Washington, D.C.
facet_where
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
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facet_when:
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06 Dec 2003
facet_when
06 Dec 2003
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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2003
facet_when_year
2003
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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ssc2004-13a
Image_#
ssc2004-13a
Image #
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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UID:
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SPD-SPITZ-ssc2004-13 a
UID
SPD-SPITZ-ssc2004-13 a
UID
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