Egg nebula
Egg nebula | |
---|---|
Observational Data | |
Designation | Egg Nebula.jpg |
Right ascension | 21h 02m 18.27s[1] |
Declination | +36° 41′ 37.0″[1] |
Constellation | Cygnus |
Type of object | Protoplanetary nebula |
Astrometry | |
Distance from Earth | 1,892 ly[2] |
The Egg nebula (RAFGL 2688, CRL 2688) is a protoplanetary nebula in the constellation of Cygnus, the swan.[3] It was the first type of protoplanetary nebula to be observed.[4]
The nebula is around one light year across and is shedding large shells composed of dust and gas. Light from the nebula is polarized and this give clues as to the source of the light in the nebula. There is believed to be a star at the nebula's core, surrounded and obscured by dust. The light beams emanating from it are though to be visible due to holes in this dust cloud caused by outgoing jets. The gas is expanding at a rate of 20 km/s or 115,000 mph.[4] It is thought to have a luminosity 6,000 times larger than the Sun and a temperature lying somewhere in the range of 186-401 kelvin.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Egg nebula. Simbad Astronomical Database. simbad.u-strasbg.fr. Retrieved on 2019-08-03.
- ↑ Vickers, S.; Frew, D.; Parker, Q. et al. (2015). "New light on Galactic post-asymptotic giant branch stars – I. First distance catalogue". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 447 (2): 1673-1691. doi:10.1093/mnras/stu2383. Bibcode: 2015MNRAS.447.1673V. arXiv:1403.7230
- ↑ The Egg Nebula. nasa.gov. Retrieved on 2019-08-03.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Understanding the Egg Nebula. esa.int (2019-04-15). Retrieved on 2019-08-03.