Best of AOP - Planetary Nebulae |
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NGC 6781 |
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This is an almost a perfect bubble of gas cast off by a single star that has died. The bubble continues to expand; it is approximately two light years across now. Its imperfection (from our perspective) is due to photodissociation (yes... this is a real word) by interstellar UV radiation. Energetic photons from nearby bright stars decompose the gas bubble. Note the dim central blue star (a blue/white white dwarf). |
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Last Updated: 22-Jun-2014 |
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About This Image |
Click on image for larger version. |
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Equipment 20in RC Optical Systems telescope Operating at f/8.1 Paramount ME Robotic Telescope Mount SBIG ST10XME CCD camera with color filter wheel LRGB color production was used to create this image. One iteration of L-R deconvolution (sharpening) algorithm using CCDsharp was applied to the luminance image. Luminance = 60 minutes binned 1x1 Red = 10 minutes binned 2x2 Green = 10 minutes binned 2x2 Blue = 10 minutes binned 2x2 Minimum credit line: Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF
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