A stunning new image from the 8.1-m Gemini North telescope, located on the summit of Maunakea in Hawai’i, reveals the Crystal Ball Nebula in unprecedented detail: a lumpy, glowing sphere of gas sculpted by a pair of stars.
This image of the Crystal Ball Nebula was captured by the 8.1-m Gemini North telescope at the International Gemini Observatory. Image credit: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez, International Gemini Observatory & NSF’s NOIRLab / T.A. Rector, University of Alaska Anchorage & NSF’s NOIRLab / D. de Martin & M. Zamani, NSF’s NOIRLab.
The Crystal Ball Nebula is located approximately 1,500 light-years away in the constellation of Taurus, near the border of Perseus.
Officially known as NGC 1514, the nebula was discovered on November 13, 1790, by the German-British astronomer William Herschel.
The new image of the Crystal Ball Nebula was captured by Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on the Gemini North telescope, which is one half of the International Gemini Observatory, partly funded by NSF and operated by NSF’s NOIRLab.
“The Crystal Ball Nebula is categorized as a planetary nebula, a nomenclature first presented by the nebula’s discoverer, William Herschel,” the NOIRLab astronomers said in a statement.
“He coined the term in the 1700s after spotting the spherical shape of these objects, which reminded him of planets. In reality, planets and planetary nebulae are unrelated.”
“Planetary nebulae form when a low- or intermediate-mass star ejects its outer layers near the end of its life, forming a somewhat spherical cloud of gas.”
“They typically have smoother, spherical shapes, making the Crystal Ball Nebula unique for its bumpy shells of gas.”
“As the central star casts away this gas, its inner core is exposed.”
“Radiation from the core energizes the gas, giving it a scorching temperature and chromatic glow.”
“The Crystal Ball Nebula, for example, has an estimated temperature of 15,000 K.”
“Herschel found this object fascinating, amazed by its faintly illuminated shell.”
“Prior to its discovery, he believed that nebulae were collections of stars that were too far away to individually resolve.”
“The distinct bright point at the heart of the gaseous shell shattered this theory.”
“He wrote in 1791, ‘Our judgment I may venture to say, will be, that the nebulosity about the star is not of a starry nature’.”
“He believed the illumination of the Crystal Ball Nebula came from a single star, not a far-off grouping.”
While it may appear in the new image as if there is a single shining light source at the heart of the Crystal Ball Nebula, as Herschel saw, it actually contains two stars.
“These two stars orbit each other with a period of around 9 years — the longest known for any binary pair within a planetary nebula,” the astronomers said.
