Hubble image archive
Ring-Like Planetary Nebula SuWt 2
This image of the planetary nebula SuWt 2 reveals a bright ring-like structure encircling a bright central star. The central star is actually a close binary system where two stars completely circle each other every five days. The interaction of these stars and the more massive st...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2008
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2008-21-2349-image
This image of the planetary nebula SuWt 2 reveals a bright ring-like structure encircling a bright central star. The central star is actually a close binary system where two stars completely circle each other every five days. The interaction of these stars and the more massive star that sheds material to create the nebula formed the ring structure. The burned out core of the massive companion has yet to be found inside the nebula. The nebula is located 6,500 light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Centaurus. This color image was taken on Jan. 31, 1995 with the National Optical Astronomy Observatory's 1.5-meter telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile.
Credits
NASA, NOAO, H. Bond and K. Exter (STScI/AURA)Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | SuWt 2 |
| Object Description | Planetary Nebula |
| R.A. Position | 13h 55m 43.23s |
| Dec. Position | -59° 22' 40.03" |
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 6,500 light-years or 2,000 parsecs |
| Dimensions | The image is approximately 9 arcminutes (17 light-years or 5 parsecs) wide. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The science team comprises K. Exter and H. Bond (STScI), K. Stassun (Vanderbilt University, Tenn.), P. Maxted and B. Smalley (Keele University, UK), and D. Pollacco (Queen’s University, UK). |
| Instrument | CTIO>NOAO/1.5m |
| Exposure Dates | January 31, 1995 |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | The image is a composite of separate exposures made by the CTIO 1.5m data. Two filters were used to sample narrow wavelength ranges matching the emission of specific chemical elements. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Red: Hα Green: Hα+[O III] Blue: [O III] |
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Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
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