Credit: ESA / Hubble & NASA, L. Stanghellini
This image from the NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope features an impressive portrait of M1-63, a beautifully captured example of a bipolar planetary nebula located in the constellation Scutum (the Shield).
A nebula like this is formed when the star at its center spills huge amounts of material from its outer layers, leaving behind a spectacular cloud of gas and dust.
A binary star system in the center of the bipolar nebula is believed to be capable of creating hourglass or butterfly shapes like the one in this image.
This is because the material of the spilled star is tapered towards its poles, with the help of the companion, creating the distinctive double-lobe structure seen in nebulae like M1-63.
Image: Hubble detects interstellar interaction
Quote: Image: Hubble takes the portrait of the nebula (2021, February 13) retrieved on February 14, 2021 at https://phys.org/news/2021-02-image-hubble-portrait-nebula.html
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