The Necklace Nebula was "born" about 10,000 years ago when the larger of two suns in a tight orbit expanded and engulfed its stellar sibling that subsequently created the ‘diamonds’ of the space. The Hubble Space Telescope captured the image using the latest technology that has undergone drastic improvements in terms of its software such as its image processing technology - leading to the clearer, more vivid image of the nebula in the latest release.
NASA‘s Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled a new image of the Necklace Nebula – a ring described as “a diamond necklace of cosmic proportions.”
Situated roughly 15,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Sagitta, the planetary nebula is essentially tight clumps of gas that reflect light from nearby stars.
The ring was created around 10,000 years ago when two “doomed stars” collided, causing one of them to expand.
The smaller star remained within its larger twin, eventually creating the ring of “diamonds.”
The text description provided by ESA in the NASA press release explains that the interaction between "two doomed stars" created the Necklace Nebula, formally designated as PN G054.203.4.
The Necklace Nebula was "born" about 10,000 years ago when the larger of two suns in a tight orbit expanded and engulfed its stellar sibling.
But the smaller star continued its orbit, which in turn caused the larger star to rotate more quickly.
The escalating dance between these two stellar bodies sent debris and gas hurtling out into the surrounding space. The "diamonds" are actually dense clusters of gas.
Even as the Necklace Nebula has taken form, enough to be imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope, the two stars in conflict at the center of it all continue to closely orbit each other.
Although they remain millions of miles apart, they are relatively close by astronomical standards and orbit each other in just over a day.
The Necklace Nebula was initially discovered back in 2011; however, the latest image provides a clearer view using developed processing techniques.
While the Hubble Space Telescope has its design and hardware remain largely unchanged between the 2011 and the 2021 imaging attempts of the Necklace Nebula, it has undergone drastic improvements in terms of its software such as its image processing technology - leading to the clearer, more vivid image of the nebula in the latest release.
To allow the Hubble Space Telescope to accommodate the rapidly-changing technology, and as a way to future-proof the long-term space project, it was designed to accommodate servicing missions - which works for both maintaining the craft and adding the relevant upgrades.
The last of these missions was the Servicing Mission 4, delivered by a seven-member crew aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis back in 2009.
The said mission was a success, with the SM4 crew completing five spacewalks in total, equivalent to 37 man-hours in space. (NP)
Tags: #astronomy, #nebula, #HubbleTelescope, #NASA