Astronomers from Stanford University have discovered that at the center of the Cat’s Eye Nebula is not a single star, but a binary system. This is on Wednesday, September 28, according to their study, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
So, the researchers created the first computer three-dimensional model of the nebula, finding a pair of symmetrical rings in it. This symmetry of the rings is proof of the existence of a double star at the center of the nebula, the scientists stressed.
In addition, the computer model helped to refine the age of the nebula, which is 2136 years.
The Cat’s Eye Nebula is one of the most complex known planetary nebulae. It is located at a distance of about 3 thousand light years from the Sun in the constellation Draco, complements “Gazeta.Ru”.
On September 11, the James Webb Telescope took a picture of the Tarantula Nebula. The space object is located approximately 161 thousand light years from Earth in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy. Using the telescope, scientists studied star formation in the region of the nebula and discovered “tens of thousands” of new celestial bodies.
The nebula aroused the interest of researchers because of the similarity of conditions in it with those that took place in the early stages of the formation of the Milky Way.
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