Area image of the week: A cosmic butterfly emerges from a star’s violent death
Kohoutek 3-46 is a planetary nebula recorded by the Geminin North telescope. (Image credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/ AURA. Image processing: J. Miller (International Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab), M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab) & & M. Zamani (NSF's NOIRLab))
What it is: Kohoutek 3-46, a planetary nebula.Where it is: 7,200 light-years remote in the constellation Cygnus.When it was shared: July 24, 2024.Why it's so unique:Death comes strongly for huge stars. As they burn through their fuel and start to cool, pressure drops and gravity takes control. A core collapse can follow, triggering an intense supernova surge.That's not how all stars end their lives. When a smaller sized star about one to 8 times the size of the sun tir...