THE ANT NEBULA ACTUALLY HAS INTENSE LASER EMISSIONS COMING FROM ITS CORE

[Judi Lynn]

From ground-based telescopes, the so-called "ant nebula" (Menzel 3, or Mz 3) resembles
the head and thorax of a garden-variety ant. This dramatic NASA/ESA Hubble Space
Telescope image, showing 10 times more detail, reveals the "ant's" body as a pair of fiery
lobes protruding from a dying, Sun-like star. Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team
(STScI/AURA)

Article written: 23 May , 2018
by Matt Williams

When low- to middleweight stars like our Sun approach the end of their life cycles they eventually cast off their outer layers, leaving behind a dense, white dwarf star. These outer layers became a massive cloud of dust and gas, which is characterized by bright colors and intricate patterns, known as a planetary nebula. Someday, our Sun will turn into such a nebula, one which could be viewed from light-years away.

This process, where a dying star gives rise to a massive cloud of dust, was already known to be incredibly beautiful and inspiring thanks to many images taken by Hubble. However, after viewing the famous Ant Nebula with the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Herschel Space Observatory, a team of astronomers discovered an unusual laser emission that suggests that there is a double star system at the center of the nebula.

The study, titled “Herschel Planetary Nebula Survey (HerPlaNS): hydrogen recombination laser lines in Mz 3“, recently appeared in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The study was led by Isabel Aleman of the University of São Paulo and the Leiden Observatory, and included members from the Herschel Science Center, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Royal Observatory of Belgium and multiple universities.

he Ant Nebula (aka. Mz 3) is a young bipolar planetary nebula located in the constellation Norma, and takes its name from the twin lobes of gas and dust that resemble the head and body of an ant. In the past, this nebula’s beautiful and intricate nature was imaged by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The new data obtained by Herschel also indicates that the Ant Nebula beams intense laser emissions from its core.

More:
https://www.universetoday.com/139263/the-ant-nebula-actually-has-intense-laser-emissions-coming-from-its-core/

[red dog 1]

1. Kick!

Very interesting!