NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning picture of the NGC 6826 nebula, also referred to as the “Blinking Eye” Nebula. This nebula is notable for its dying star at the center, which is on its way to becoming a white dwarf. This celestial event has given astronomers a rare glimpse into the future of our own sun, which is expected to undergo a similar process in about five billion years.
The NGC 6826 is located in the Cygnus constellation, approximately 2,200 light-years away from Earth. It is a planetary nebula, a term that describes the final stages of a medium-sized star’s life. This type of nebula is formed when a dying star expels its outer layers into space, creating a shell of gas and dust around the remaining core. This core, which is extremely hot, then emits ultraviolet light causing the expelled gases to glow, thus forming the nebula.
The “Blinking Eye” Nebula gets its nickname from its unique appearance. When observed through a small telescope, the bright central star seems to blink on and off as the observer’s eye shifts its gaze. This illusion is caused by the eye’s sensitivity to the high-intensity light from the central star, which can overwhelm the eye and cause the fainter surrounding nebula to temporarily disappear.
The Hubble image showcases two prominent red patches on either side of the star. These are known as FLIERs (Fast, Low-Ionization Emission Regions). The nature of these structures is still unclear to astronomers, but they are believed to be jets of high-speed gas being ejected from the star.
This latest image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope is just one of the many contributions it has made to our understanding of the universe since its launch in 1990. The Hubble continues to provide valuable data and images, despite being in operation for over three decades. It has been instrumental in confirming the existence of black holes, understanding the life cycle of stars, and determining the rate of expansion of the universe.
In the coming years, the Hubble will be joined and eventually succeeded by the highly-anticipated James Webb Space Telescope. The James Webb is expected to further our understanding of the universe by observing infrared light, which will allow it to see through dust clouds and observe distant galaxies in greater detail than ever before. This next-generation space telescope is set to launch in late 2021.
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