NGC 1360: The Robins Egg Nebula

This pretty nebula lies some 1,500 light-years away, its shape and color in this telescopic view reminiscent of a robin’s egg. The cosmic cloud spans about 3 light-year s, nestled securely within the boundaries of the southern constellation of the Furnace ( Fornax ). Recognized as a planetary nebula, egg-shaped NGC 1360 doesn’t represent a beginning, though. Instead, it corresponds to a brief and final phase in the evolution of an aging star. In fact, visible at the center of the nebula, the central star of NGC 1360 is known to be a binary star system likely consisting of two evolved white dwarf stars, less massive but much hotter than the Sun. Their intense and otherwise invisible ultraviolet radiation has stripped away electron s from the atoms in their mutually surrounding gaseous shroud. The blue-green hue inside of NGC 1360 seen here is the strong emission produced as electrons recombine with doubly ionized oxygen atoms.

Celestial Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)