Hubble image archive

Stingray Nebula in 1996

Date: Jan 1, 2020
Mission: Hubble Space Telescope
Archive ID: hubblesite-images-2020-55-4750-image

By Kakha Giorgashvili January 1, 2020

This image shows the planetary nebula Hen 3-1357, nicknamed the Stingray nebula, captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in March 1996. The image captures the final stages of the central star’s life, where a ballooning shroud of gas is cast off by the dying star. This image captured the Stingray nebula in its infancy and astronomers called it the youngest known planetary nebula. In this image, the colors shown represent light emitted by nitrogen (red), oxygen (green), and hydrogen (blue).

Credits

NASA, ESA, B. Balick (University of Washington), M. Guerrero (Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía), and G. Ramos-Larios (Universidad de Guadalajara)

Image Details

About The Object
Object Name	Hen 3-1357 (Stingray Nebula)
Object Description	Planetary Nebula
R.A. Position	17:16:21.07
Dec. Position	-59:29:23.64
Constellation	Ara
Distance	18,260 light-years
Dimensions	Image is about 6 arcsec across (about 0.5 light-years)
About The Data
Data Description	The HST observations include those from programs (M. Bobrowsky)
Instrument	WFPC2
Exposure Dates	09 March 1996
Filters	F502N, F656N, F658N
About The Image
Color Info	These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFPC2 instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F502N Green: F656N Red: F658N