Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cancer (Cnc)  ·  Contains:  IC 523  ·  PK219+31.1  ·  Sh2-290
Abell 31, Daniel Stern
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Abell 31

Abell 31, Daniel Stern
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Abell 31

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Description

Abell 31 is a very faint planetary nebula about 2000 light years away.  It is mostly hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue/teal).  The nebula was formed when a dying star, about twice the size of our sun, known as a Wolf-Rayet star, shed its outer layers of gas and dust. The intense ultraviolet radiation emitted by the star ionized the surrounding gases, causing them to emit ionized hydrogen and doubly ionized oxygen (Oiii) The central star of WR102 is a hot, compact object known as a white dwarf. It has a surface temperature of around 120,000 degrees Celsius and is rapidly cooling down as it ages. The intense radiation from the white dwarf causes the surrounding gas to expand at high speeds, creating intricate patterns and structures within the nebula

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Abell 31, Daniel Stern