Stunning false-color image of the planetary nebula NGC 2440. This nebula, resembling a butterfly, is the ejected shell of gas from a dying star, at its center lies one of the hottest known white dwarfs. Our Sun will undergo a similar transformation in billions of years. Image post-processed by Forrest Hamilton.

Astronomy Picture from 07/05/2006

NGC 2440: Cocoon of a New White Dwarf

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060507.html


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