Astronomers figured out how the Butterfly Nebula took its shape. This was reported by the University of Washington press service.
Most planetary nebulae are roughly circular, but some look like hourglasses or wings. One such object is the Butterfly Nebula. Most likely this shape is due to the presence of a second star orbiting the nebula’s parent star. Due to gravity, the material expands into a pair of lobes or “wings”. These “wings” are believed to have grown over time, but did not change shape.
But a new study has shown that this is not the case for the Butterfly Nebula. The astronomers compared images of the object taken from the Hubble telescope in 2009 and 2020 and saw dramatic changes in the material inside the wings.
“The Butterfly Nebula is extreme in mass, velocity and complexity in its eruptions from a central star that is 200 times hotter than the Sun but only slightly larger than Earth,” said team leader Bruce Fish from the University of Science and Technology. Washington.
In total, about half a dozen “jets” were found, beginning around 2,300 years ago and ending 900 years ago, carrying material in a series of asymmetrical flows. Material in the outer reaches of the nebula moves at about 700 kilometers per second, while material closer to the hidden central star expands much more slowly, at about a tenth of that speed. The paths of the jets intersect, creating “random” structures that grow inside the wings.
Scientists say the nebula’s complex, rapidly changing interior cannot be easily explained using existing models for the formation and development of planetary nebulae. The star shrouded in dust at the center of the nebula can merge with a companion star or pull material from a nearby star, creating complex magnetic fields and jets. Astronomers plan to observe it using the James Webb telescope for a final answer about the causes of the nebula’s unusual interior.