The field around NGC 6164-65
author: Anglo-Australian Observatory/David Malin Images/Novapix
reference: a-neb61-64001
Image Size 300 DPI: 40 * 51 cm
Very hot, massive stars lose substantial amounts of matter from their surfaces during much of their brief lives. Mass-loss is usually a fairly steady process but some stars occasionally develop instabilities and have major outbursts. This star has thrown off at least two distinct lots of material during its lifetime, the brightest and most recent being the bright lobes of NGC 6164-5 at the centre of the picture while a much fainter rim of nebulosity can be seen at a considerable distance from the central star, indicating an earlier episode of violent ejection. The nebula is at a distance of about 4200 light years.