The powerful Hubble Space Telescope is known for its ability to detect amazing phenomena in the space and it has now captured the death of a star in the "Rotten Egg" nebula.
Hubble has snapped up images of the disintegration of a star in the Calabash Nebula (technical name OH 231.8+04.2), which is located in the constellation Puppis. Calabash Nebula is also called the "Rotten Egg" nebula as it has a high sulfur concentration, which makes it smell like rotten eggs literally.
The Calabash Nebula is around 5000 light years away from Earth. Astronomers believe that the disintegrating star, which is similar in size to the Sun, is currently under transition to becoming a planetary nebula.
The Hubble telescope has also captured exciting phenomena such as the remnants of a dead star that exploded in the Crab Nebula, whose heart was still beating, imparting an eerie glow.
Earlier in January, the telescope had captured images of a cosmic megamaster radiating intense microwaves. It even detected exocomets falling towards a young star.
For the unfamiliar, the Hubble Space Telescope was first launched into space in the year 1990. It is the only telescope which is maintained and serviced by astronauts from NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
Five space shuttle missions have been launched till date to repair and update the telescope. It is expected to remain in space till around the mid 2030's.
The latest images taken by Hubble show the star undergoing a quick transformation - from being a red giant to a planetary nebula.
What Is A Planetary Nebula?
The term is used to describe the phenomenon where dying stars release ionized gases, which eventually form a giant glowing shell surrounding the star. This process of expanding gas may last for a thousand years after which the star is completely transformed into a "white dwarf."
An Uncommon Event
Scientists claim that such an event is quite uncommon and the opportunity to witness it may come just once in a lifetime. The picture shows the gas shooting out from the star at speeds of around 621,371 miles per hour. The yellow portion of the image shows the gases being emitted violently and with a lot of force.
Pictures such as this one are highly valued by astronomers as they shed further light on the process of transformation that stars undergo. The mysteries of outer space are never ending and scientists are always looking for new information.
