WHEN WE LOOK UP IN THE DARK OF NIGHT AND SEE THE STARS THAT GO ON AND ON, AND THROUGH TELESCOPES WE CAN SEE BEAUTIFUL LIGHT PATTERNS, IT MAKES ME WONDER WHERE HEAVEN IS LOCATED. WE ARE ON A JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE THAT DOESN'T LAST AND IF WE FORGET ABOUT THIS, WE WILL BE CAUGHT UP WITH OUR EARTHLY THINGS AND NOT BE PREPARED FOR OUR LAST JOURNEY THAT WILL TAKE US TO WHERE NO ONE HERE HAS REALLY SEEN YET KNOWS EXISTS.
Planetary Nebula NGC 2440 Credit: NASA, ESA, K. Noll (STScI) Acknowledgment: Hubble Heritage Team (STScI / AURA)
Explanation: Planetary nebula NGC 2440 has an intriguing bow-tie shape in this stunning view from space. The nebula is composed of material cast off by a dying sun-like star as it enters its white dwarf phase of evolution. Details of remarkably complex structures are revealed within NGC 2440, including dense ridges of material swept back from the nebula's central star. Near the center of the view, the star itself is one of the hottest known, with a surface temperature of about 200,000 kelvins. About 4,000 light-years from planet Earth toward the nautical constellation Puppis, the nebula spans over a light-year and is energized by ultraviolet light from the central star. The false-color image was recorded earlier this month using the Hubble's Wide-Field Planetary Camera 2(WFPC2), demonstrating still impressive imaging capabilities following the failure of the Advanced Camera for Surveys.
Explanation: Planetary nebula NGC 2440 has an intriguing bow-tie shape in this stunning view from space. The nebula is composed of material cast off by a dying sun-like star as it enters its white dwarf phase of evolution. Details of remarkably complex structures are revealed within NGC 2440, including dense ridges of material swept back from the nebula's central star. Near the center of the view, the star itself is one of the hottest known, with a surface temperature of about 200,000 kelvins. About 4,000 light-years from planet Earth toward the nautical constellation Puppis, the nebula spans over a light-year and is energized by ultraviolet light from the central star. The false-color image was recorded earlier this month using the Hubble's Wide-Field Planetary Camera 2(WFPC2), demonstrating still impressive imaging capabilities following the failure of the Advanced Camera for Surveys.
