Planetary Nebula NGC 5189 is a photograph by Marco Oliveira which was uploaded on January 20th, 2016.
Original - Not For Sale
Price
Not Specified
Dimensions
3964.000 x 4224.000 pixels
This piece is not for sale. Please feel free to contact the artist directly regarding this or other pieces.
Click here to contact the artist.
Title
Planetary Nebula NGC 5189
Artist
Marco Oliveira
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Planetary Nebula NGC 5189
Image Credits: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Retouching by Marco Oliveira
About this image:
Planetary nebulae represent the final brief stage in the life of a medium-sized star like our Sun. While consuming the last of the fuel in its core, the dying star expels a large portion of its outer envelope. This material then becomes heated by the radiation from the stellar remnant and radiates, producing glowing clouds of gas that can show complex structures, as the ejection of mass from the star is uneven in both time and direction.
A spectacular example of this beautiful complexity is seen in the bluish lobes of NGC 5189. Most of the nebula is knotty and filamentary in its structure. As a result of the mass-loss process, the planetary nebula has been created with two nested structures, tilted with respect to each other, that expand away from the center in different directions.
This double bipolar or quadrupolar structure could be explained by the presence of a binary companion orbiting the central star and influencing the pattern of mass ejection during its nebula-producing death throes. The remnant of the central star, having lost much of its mass, now lives its final days as a white dwarf. However, there is no visual candidate for the possible companion.
The bright golden ring that twists and tilts through the image is made up of a large collection of radial filaments and cometary knots. These are usually formed by the combined action of photo-ionizing radiation and stellar winds.
Follow me on Facebook to get updates on my latest work, special promotions and much more! Marco Oliveira Photography: http://on.fb.me/1tnBHal
Uploaded
January 20th, 2016