NGC 2346, in contrast to the first two young objects, is a so-called "planetary nebula," which is ejected from Sun-like stars which are near the ends of their lives. NGC 2346 is remarkable because its central star is known to be actually a very close pair of stars, orbiting each other every 16 days. It is believed that the binary star was originally more widely separated. However, when one component of the binary evolved, expanded in size, and became a red-giant star, it literally swallowed its companion star. The companion star then spiralled downwards inside the red giant, and in the process spewed out gas into a ring around the binary system. Later on, when the hot core of the red giant was exposed, it developed a faster stellar wind, which emerged perpendicularly to the ring and inflated two huge "bubbles." This two-stage process is believed to have resulted in the butterfly-like shape of the nebula. NGC 2346 lies about 2,000 light-years away from us, and is about one-third of a light-year in size.
Credits
NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI).| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | NGC 2346 |
| Object Description | Planetary Nebula in the Milky Way Galaxy |
| R.A. Position | 07h 9m 22.52s |
| Dec. Position | 00° 48' 23.59" |
| Constellation | Monoceros |
| Distance | 3,900 light-years (1,200 pc) |
| Dimensions | The image is 2.8 arcminutes on the vertical side. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | Principal Astronomers: M.Stiavelli and I. Heyer (STScI) and collaborators |
| Instrument | HST>WFPC2 |
| Exposure Dates | March 6, 1997, Exposure Time: 24 minutes |
| Filters | F502N [O III], F656N (H-alpha), and F658N [N II] |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | Blue: F502N [O III] Green: F656N (H-alpha) Red: F658N [N II] |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
