Nebulas are among the most beautiful things in outer people often associate space with stars, planets, and black holes, nebulas are every bit as important. They're hundreds of millions of kilometers big, can get up to 10,000°C, and astronomers believe there are some 20,000 of them in the Milky Way alone.
As NASA has repeatedly shared throughout the year, these nebulas can take on drastically different shapes and sizes. In late November, NASA showcased the Flame Nebula and its haunting dark dust clouds. The organization also shared a photo of a strange 'bubble' nebula, in addition to one sending a massive shockwave through the cosmos. Whether someone's a these nebulas are nothing short of amazing.
Adding to that point, NASA just shared a bunch of new nebula photos to reinforce this idea — one of which is seen above. This is a picture of the Jewel Bug Nebula (also known as NGC 7027). It's 2,900 light-years from Earth and is one of the younger known nebulas at just 600 years old. What makes this particular photo unique is that it was captured using light data from the Hubble telescope and X-ray data from the Chandra telescope. Hubble captures the nebula's delicate structures, Chandra highlights the gorgeous colors, and the combined result is absolutely stunning. In the case of the Jewel Bug Nebula, we get to see its bright pink center, swirling lines on top of it, and circular clouds of blue gas.
Other Nebulas Captured By Hubble & Chandra
But the Jewel Bug Nebula isn't the only nebula Hubble and Chandra captured. The duo It's also much closer to Earth, coming in at just 2,200 light-years away.
Moving to the bottom row, the nebula on the left is NGC 7662. In a lot of ways, it bears a similar appearance to NGC 3242. There's a tiny center, a blue/purple bubble around it, and an abundance of yellow gas. However, NGC 7662 stands out thanks to the gorgeous orange colors spread around its outside. It's also further away from Earth, with a distance of around 3,900 light-years. And, last but not least, there's NGC 2371 — the furthest nebula from Earth at an estimated 5,700 light-years. It stands out with a small pink center, faint green/blue clouds, and a glimpse of pink light flanking either side.
All of these nebulae are called 'planetary nebula,' though that name is a misnomer. The planetary nebula name was given by astronomers in the 19th century due to the nebulas' planet-like shapes. However, as it's well-known today, planetary nebulas are actually a phase stars go through after u too much of their 'fuel.' Regardless of the misleading name, one thing is for certain: They're beautiful, unique, and another reminder of how fascinating the universe can be.
Source: NASA