Just in
time for Christmas, this striking image of NGC 7662, known as the "Blue
Snowball," arrives.
NGC 7662 is
a planetary nebula in the constellation of Andromeda. (The term "planetary
nebula" is misleading. These objects were originally named such as the
result of their resemblance to planets such as Uranus, but they have nothing to
do with planets.) These nebulae represent the final stage of a smaller star's
life, at which time the core of the star contracts and rises in temperature.
The outer layers of the star are ultimately blown outward into a gigantic cloud
and ionized, producing the characteristic glow of a planetary nebula.
Astrophotographer Adam Block, who took this photograph,
writes, "Like the Eskimo Nebula, NGC 7662 is a challenging target with
extremely small details." The equipment used to take this image included a
20in RCOS telescope and an SBIG STL11000 CCD camera. RGB = 30:30:30.
--SPACE.com Staff
Credit:Adam Block
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