NGC 2440: Cocoon of a New White Dwarf

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zorg.ch #65153 by [z]Barbara Harris @ 24.01.2005 00:00 - nach oben - NGC 2440: Cocoon of a New White Dwarf Explanation: Like a butterfly, a white dwarf star begins its life by casting off a cocoon that enclosed its former self. In this analogy, however, the >Sun would be a caterpillar and the ejected shell of gas would become the prettiest of all! The above cocoon, the >planetary nebula designated NGC 2440, contains one of the hottest white dwarf stars known. The white dwarf can be seen as the bright dot near the photo's center. >Our Sun will eventually become a "white dwarf butterfly", but not for another 5 billion years. The above false color image was post-processed by Forrest Hamilton. Credit & Copyright