Astronomy Picture of the Day - Planetary Nebula Mz3: The Ant Nebula

APOD.NASA.gov ^ | 25 Apr, 2021 | Image Credit: R. Sahai (JPL) et al., Hubble Heritage Team, ESA, NASA

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: Why isn't this ant a big sphere? Planetary nebula Mz3 is being cast off by a star similar to our Sun that is, surely, round. Why then would the gas that is streaming away create an ant-shaped nebula that is distinctly not round? Clues might include the high 1000-kilometer per second speed of the expelled gas, the light-year long length of the structure, and the magnetism of the star featured here at the nebula's center. One possible answer is that Mz3 is hiding a second, dimmer star that orbits close in to the bright star. A competing hypothesis holds that the central star's own spin and magnetic field are channeling the gas. Since the central star appears to be so similar to our own Sun, astronomers hope that increased understanding of the history of this giant space ant can provide useful insight into the likely future of our own Sun and Earth.

[MtnClimber]

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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

[MtnClimber]

[MtnClimber]

Pinging the APOD list.

🪐 🌟 🌌

There is a smart pet hidden in the hot links at the link to this post.

[Fungi]

Please identify all those stars and galaxies in the background. :)

[MtnClimber]

My IQ is really low for something like dat. This is how I gets to work:

[MtnClimber]

I try to act dumb and don’t work so I will get more per month on my EBT card!

[Telepathic Intruder]

Are you using the Biden plan for cutting down on fossil fuels? Unlike the rest of us earth-killers, he gets to take his jumbo jet.

[Bullish]

That one’s a keeper.

[blueunicorn6]

You’re late for work a lot aren’t you?

That did make me laugh.

[blueunicorn6]

Good thing she steered to the left.

She was going off the road.

[blueunicorn6]

Astronomers think this looks like an ant?

Waste of time buying them ant killer.

[MtnClimber]

That sun-like star probably had a planet populated by why-peepol that were making it warm. The star went all antifa and blew up then it turned into a giant ant so it could eat those why-peepol like they was just so many cheeseburgers!

[moovova]

Reminds me of the Galaga arcade game.

[null and void]

Laz, yer girl got out again...