Planetary nebula NGC 5315 in Circinus

by: Nasa/Esa/Hubble heritage team/Novapix
Reference: a-nep53-15001
Date: 2007-09-12

The Hubble image shows a planetary nebula, a dying Sun-like star, NGC 5315. This chaotic-looking nebula reveals an x-shaped structure. This shape suggests that the star ejected material in two different outbursts in two distinct directions. Each outburst unleashed a pair of diametrically opposed outflows. NGC 5315 lies in the southern constellation Circinus.The red, green, and blue colors represent light emitted by nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, respectively.

Contact →