nebula Archives

The Helix Nebula and the cosmic recycling of stellar material. The bright central nebula surrounds a white dwarf, the remnant of the star that created it. Farther out, newly revealed bow shocks show fragments of material cast off by that star colliding with surrounding interstellar gas. The fragments become progressively smaller and more disrupted as they are stripped, shredded and mixed into space. The new MOTHRA data is shown in black, with previous data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Kitt Peak 4m telescope in color. Credit for the previous data: NASA, ESA, C. R. O’Dell (Vanderbilt University) and M. Meixner, P. McCullough and G. Bacon (Space Telescope Science Institute).

Astrochemistry: A Cosmic Recycling System In Action In The Helix Nebula

by Keith CowingAugust 14, 2026August 14, 2026

[Northwestern University] An international team of scientists, including Northwestern University astrophysicists, has captured an unprecedented view of a dying star’s remains in the act of being recycled.

This image, which combines infrared data from the James Webb Space Telescope with submillimetre observations from the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA), shows the doughnut-shaped torus and interconnected bubbles of dusty gas that surround the Butterfly Nebula’s central star. The torus is oriented vertically and nearly edge-on from our perspective, and it intersects with bubbles of gas enclosing the star. The bubbles appear bright red in this image, illuminated by the light from helium and neon gas. Outside the bubbles, jets traced by emission from ionised iron shoot off in opposite directions. Credit ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, M. Matsuura, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), N. Hirano, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb) larger image

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Butterfly Nebula (NGC 6302) Reveals Clues To Earth’s Creation

by Keith CowingAugust 28, 2025August 28, 2025

Clues about how worlds like Earth may have formed have been found buried at the heart of a spectacular ‘cosmic butterfly’.

The Webb version of the Pillars of Creation image showcases orange and orange-brown dust that is semi-transparent, with light blue ionized gas against a dark blue background. larger image

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release

Astrochemistry and Astrophysics Interplay: The Pillars of Creation – Where Embryonic Stars Form

by Keith CowingJune 27, 2024June 27, 2024

Made famous in 1995 by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, the Pillars of Creation in the heart of the Eagle Nebula have captured imaginations worldwide with their arresting, ethereal beauty.