NASA;’s Hubble Space Telescope reveals the clearest view yet of the Egg Nebula. This structure of gas and dust was created by a dying, Sun-like star. (NASA / ESA / Bruce Balick / University of Washington via SWNS)
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By Dean Murray
Space scientists have shown off an incredible image of a ‘space egg‘.
NASA said Tuesday (Feb 11) the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a dramatic interplay of light and shadow in what’s called the Egg Nebula.
Bruce Balick / University of Washington
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Located approximately 1,000 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus, the space agency said the cosmic spectacle is so named as it features a central star obscured by a dense cloud of dust, “like a ‘yolk’ nestled within a dark, opaque ‘egg white’.”
NASA commented: “An egg-cellent new view from Hubble is here! This is the clearest image yet of the Egg Nebula, showing a light show around a rapidly dying star.
“It is the first, youngest, and closest pre-planetary nebula ever discovered. At 1,000 light-years away, it offers a rare opportunity to test theories of late-stage stellar evolution.”
(NASA / ESA / Bruce Balick / University of Washington via SWNS)
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NASA noted that the symmetrical patterns captured by Hubble are too orderly to result from a violent explosion like a supernova. Instead, the arcs, lobes, and central dust cloud likely stem from a coordinated series of poorly understood sputtering events in the carbon-enriched core of the dying star.
The new image combines data used to create a 2012 image with additional observations from the same program to deliver the clearest look yet at this intricate cosmic egg.