NASA has released an incredibly beautiful photo taken by the NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope of the planetary nebula M1-63.
This Hubble image shows the bipolar planetary nebula M1-63. Image Credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / L. Stanghellini.
M1-63 is a bipolar planetary nebula in the small southern constellation Scutum.
Also known as VV 209, IRAS 18486-1314 and 2MASS J18513095-1310367, it lies at a distance of almost 32,000 light-years from Earth.
“A nebula like this is formed when the star in its center throws large amounts of material from its outer layers, leaving behind a spectacular cloud of gas and dust,” Hubble astronomers said.
“It is believed that a binary system of stars in the center of the bipolar nebula is capable of creating hourglass or butterfly-like shapes such as those in this image.”
“This is because the material of the star falling away is drawn to its poles with the help of the companion, creating the characteristic double-shaped structure in nebulae such as M1-63.”
The new image of M1-63 consists of observations of Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) in the ultraviolet, near-infrared and optical parts of the spectrum.
It is based on data obtained through four filters: F200W, F350W, F502W and F814W.
The color is the result of assigning different colors to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.