A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld

at

No, but it sure does look like that.

Behold: the Crescent nebula (the aforementioned pulsating brain) and the Soap Bubble nebula (that ‘orb’ [what are the chances?] at bottom left)  – two globular clouds of dust and gas drifting through the star field between our Milky Way and the constellation of Cygnus. To wit:

Both were formed at a final phase in the life of a star. Also known as NGC 6888, the Crescent was shaped as its bright, central massive Wolf-Rayet star, WR 136, shed its outer envelope in a strong stellar wind. Burning through fuel at a prodigious rate, WR 136 is near the end of a short life that should finish in a spectacular supernova explosion. Discovered in 2013, the Soap Bubble Nebula is likely a planetary nebula, the final shroud of a lower mass, long-lived, sun-like star destined to become a slowly cooling white dwarf. Both stellar shrouds are 5,000 light-years or so distant. The larger Crescent Nebula is around 25 light-years across.

(Image: Michael Miller, Jimmy Walker)

apod

Sponsored Link

6 thoughts on “A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld

      1. Tony

        No. It’s The Orb. It even says it in the words under the picture there. There’s even an orb in the picture. Like it couldn’t be spelled out any clearer

Comments are closed.

Sponsored Link
Broadsheet.ie