Hubble image archive
Fading Stingray Nebula
This image compares two drastically different portraits of the Stingray nebula captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope 20 years apart. The image on the left, taken with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 in March 1996, shows the nebula’s central star in the final stages of i...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2020
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2020-55-4749-image
This image compares two drastically different portraits of the Stingray nebula captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope 20 years apart. The image on the left, taken with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 in March 1996, shows the nebula’s central star in the final stages of its life. The gas being puffed off by the dying star is much brighter when compared to the image of the nebula at the right, captured in January 2016 using the Wide Field Camera 3. The Stingray nebula is located in the direction of the southern constellation Ara (the Altar).
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) and (Z. Edwards) |
| Instrument | WFCP2 and WFC3/UVIS |
| Exposure Dates | 09 March 1996 and 22 January 2016 |
| Filters | F502N, F656N, F658N |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFPC2 and WFC3/UVIS 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 |
More Images From This Period
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov