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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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The Mark of a Dying Star
Title
The Mark of a Dying Star
Title
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Description:
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Six hundred and fifty light-years away in the constellation Aquarius, a dead star about the size of Earth, is refusing to fade away peacefully. In death, it is spewing out massive amounts of hot gas and intense ultraviolet radiation, creating a spectacular object called a "planetary nebula."
In this false-color image, NASA's Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes have teamed up to capture the complex structure of the object, called the Helix nebula, in unprecedented detail. The composite picture is made up of visible data from Hubble and infrared data from Spitzer.
The dead star, called a white dwarf, can be seen at the center of the image as a white dot. All of the colorful gaseous material seen in the image was once part of the central star, but was lost in the death throes of the star on its way to becoming a white dwarf. The intense ultraviolet radiation being released by the white dwarf is heating and destabilizing the molecules in its surrounding environment, starting from the inside out.
Like an electric stovetop slowly heating up from the center first, the hottest and most unstable gas molecules can be seen at the center of the nebula as wisps of blue. The transition to more stable and cooler molecules is clearly depicted as the color of the gas changes from very hot (blue) to hot (yellow) and warm (red).
A striking feature of the Helix, first revealed by ground-based images, is its collection of thousands of filamentary structures, or strands of gas. In this image the filaments can be seen under the transparent blue gas as red lines radiating out from the center. Astronomers believe that the molecules in these filaments are able to stay cooler and more stable because dense clumps of materials are shielding them from ultraviolet radiation.
This image is a composite showing ionized H-alpha (green) and O III (blue) gases from the Hubble Space Telescope, and molecular hydrogen (red) from Spitzer observations at 4.5 and 8.0 microns.
Description
Six hundred and fifty light-years away in the constellation Aquarius, a dead star about the size of Earth, is refusing to fade away peacefully. In death, it is spewing out massive amounts of hot gas and intense ultraviolet radiation, creating a spectacular object called a "planetary nebula."
In this false-color image, NASA's Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes have teamed up to capture the complex structure of the object, called the Helix nebula, in unprecedented detail. The composite picture is made up of visible data from Hubble and infrared data from Spitzer.
The dead star, called a white dwarf, can be seen at the center of the image as a white dot. All of the colorful gaseous material seen in the image was once part of the central star, but was lost in the death throes of the star on its way to becoming a white dwarf. The intense ultraviolet radiation being released by the white dwarf is heating and destabilizing the molecules in its surrounding environment, starting from the inside out.
Like an electric stovetop slowly heating up from the center first, the hottest and most unstable gas molecules can be seen at the center of the nebula as wisps of blue. The transition to more stable and cooler molecules is clearly depicted as the color of the gas changes from very hot (blue) to hot (yellow) and warm (red).
A striking feature of the Helix, first revealed by ground-based images, is its collection of thousands of filamentary structures, or strands of gas. In this image the filaments can be seen under the transparent blue gas as red lines radiating out from the center. Astronomers believe that the molecules in these filaments are able to stay cooler and more stable because dense clumps of materials are shielding them from ultraviolet radiation.
This image is a composite showing ionized H-alpha (green) and O III (blue) gases from the Hubble Space Telescope, and molecular hydrogen (red) from Spitzer observations at 4.5 and 8.0 microns.
Description
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Release Date:
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2006/01/18
Release_Date
2006/01/18
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/ESA /J. Hora (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University)
Release_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA /J. Hora (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University)
Release Credit
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Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA /J. Hora (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University)
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA /J. Hora (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University)
Image Credit
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Object name:
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Helix Nebula
Object_name
Helix Nebula
Object name
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Object name:
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NGC 7293
Object_name
NGC 7293
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: *22h29m38.55s *Dec: *-20d49m26.00s
Position_(J2000)
*RA: *22h29m38.55s *Dec: *-20d49m26.00s
Position (J2000)
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Distance:
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650 light-years (200 parsecs)
Distance
650 light-years (200 parsecs)
Distance
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Constellation:
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Aquarius
Constellation
Aquarius
Constellation
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Wavelength:
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4.5 microns and 8.0 microns (red)
Wavelength
4.5 microns and 8.0 microns (red)
Wavelength
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Wavelength:
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H-alpha filter (green), O III filter (blue)
Wavelength
H-alpha filter (green), O III filter (blue)
Wavelength
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Image scale:
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19.8x23.1 arcmin
Image_scale
19.8x23.1 arcmin
Image scale
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Observers:
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J. L. Hora (CfA)
W. B. Latter (NASA/ Herschel Science Center)
M. Marengo (CfA)
G. G. Fazio (CfA)
H. A. Smith (CfA)
M. Meixner (STScI)
H. E. Bond (STScI)
G. Chapman (STScI)
Y.-H. Chu (U. Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
P. Cox (Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, France)
W. Crothers (STScI)
L. M. Frattare (STScI)
R. Gilliland (STScI)
M. Guerrero (U. Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
R. Gruendl (U. Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
F. Hamilton (STScI)
R. Hook (STScI/ESO)
P. Huggins (New York Univ.)
I. Jordan (STScI)
C. D. Keyes (STScI)
A. Koekemoer (STScI)
K. Kwitter (Williams College)
Z. G. Levay (STScI)
P. R. McCullough (STScI)
M. Mutchler (STScI)
K. Noll (STScI)
C. R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University)
N. Panagia (STScI)
M. Reinhart (STScI)
M. Robberto (STScI)
K. Sahu (STScI)
D. Soderblom (STScI)
L. Stanghellini (STScI)
C. Tyler (STScI)
J. Valenti (STScI)
A. Welty, R. Williams (STScI)
Observers
J. L. Hora (CfA)
W. B. Latter (NASA/ Herschel Science Center)
M. Marengo (CfA)
G. G. Fazio (CfA)
H. A. Smith (CfA)
M. Meixner (STScI)
H. E. Bond (STScI)
G. Chapman (STScI)
Y.-H. Chu (U. Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
P. Cox (Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, France)
W. Crothers (STScI)
L. M. Frattare (STScI)
R. Gilliland (STScI)
M. Guerrero (U. Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
R. Gruendl (U. Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
F. Hamilton (STScI)
R. Hook (STScI/ESO)
P. Huggins (New York Univ.)
I. Jordan (STScI)
C. D. Keyes (STScI)
A. Koekemoer (STScI)
K. Kwitter (Williams College)
Z. G. Levay (STScI)
P. R. McCullough (STScI)
M. Mutchler (STScI)
K. Noll (STScI)
C. R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University)
N. Panagia (STScI)
M. Reinhart (STScI)
M. Robberto (STScI)
K. Sahu (STScI)
D. Soderblom (STScI)
L. Stanghellini (STScI)
C. Tyler (STScI)
J. Valenti (STScI)
A. Welty, R. Williams (STScI)
Observers
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Instrument:
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IRAC
Instrument
IRAC
Instrument
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Instrument:
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Hubble Space Telescope: ACS
Instrument
Hubble Space Telescope: ACS
Instrument
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Exposure Date:
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October 30, 2004
Exposure_Date
October 30, 2004
Exposure Date
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Exposure Date:
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November 19, 2002
Exposure_Date
November 19, 2002
Exposure Date
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Exposure Time:
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160 s per position
Exposure_Time
160 s per position
Exposure Time
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Exposure Time:
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4.5 hours
Exposure_Time
4.5 hours
Exposure Time
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Orientation:
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north is 60.9 dec CW from up
Orientation
north is 60.9 dec CW from up
Orientation
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Related links:
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Related_links
Related links
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note:
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*Unpackaged, full-field image* Screen-Resolution (402x450): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…ssc2006-01b1_small.j pg ] High-Resolution (3125x3497): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA /J. Hora (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University)
note
*Unpackaged, full-field image* Screen-Resolution (402x450): JPEG [ http://ipac.jpl.nas…ssc2006-01b1_small.j pg ] High-Resolution (3125x3497): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA /J. Hora (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University) note
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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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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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ESO
facet_what
ESO
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Aquarius
facet_what
Aquarius
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_what:
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Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
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facet_where:
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France
facet_where
France
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Hamilton
facet_where
Hamilton
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Illinois
facet_where
Illinois
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jordan
facet_where
Jordan
facet_where
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facet_where:
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New York
facet_where
New York
facet_where
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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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October 30, 2004
facet_when
October 30, 2004
facet_when
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facet_when:
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November 19, 2002
facet_when
November 19, 2002
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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2004
facet_when_year
2004
facet_when_year
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facet_when_year:
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2002
facet_when_year
2002
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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ssc2006-01b
Image_#
ssc2006-01b
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-ssc2006-01 b
UID
SPD-SPITZ-ssc2006-01 b
UID
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