The SuWt 2 Nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Centaurus . It is located at a distance of 6500 St. years from us.
| SuWt 2 Nebula | |
|---|---|
| planetary nebula | |
 | |
| Research history | |
| Discoverer | K. Exter and H. Bond (STScI), K. Stassun (Vanderbilt University, Tenn.), P. Maxted and B. Smalley (Keele University, UK) and D. Pollacco (Queen's University, UK). |
| opening date | January 31, 1995 |
| Observational data ( Age J2000.0 ) | |
| Right ascension | |
| Declination | |
| Distance | 6500 St. years old (2000 pc ) |
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| physical characteristics | |
| Radius | 2-3 St. of the year |
Other designations:
- PN G311.0 + 02.4
- ASCC 2257285
Features
The SuWt 2 nebula consists of a bright, bright gas ring at the edges. Weakly luminous lobes expand perpendicular to the ring, giving the nebula the appearance of an hourglass. It is assumed that light jets of gas were ejected by the star during the explosion of the star, which turned into a white dwarf . The nebula previously consisted of three stars. At the moment, in diameter it reaches 5 St. years old .
Study History
The nebula was discovered by a group of astronomers on January 31, 1995 : K. Exter ( Eng. K. Exter ), H. Bond ( Eng. H. Bond ), K. Stassan ( Eng. K. Stassun , Vanderbilt University , USA ), P. Maxted ( English P. Maxted ), B. Smalley ( English B. Smalley Keele University , UK ) and D. Polakko ( English D. Pollacco , Queen's University , UK ). The discovery was made using a telescope with a mirror diameter of 1.5 meters from the Cerro Tololo Observatory, Chile . In the early 1990s, scientists tried to find the presence of a white dwarf in the nebula using the IUE orbital ultraviolet telescope ( International Ultraviolet Explorer , International Ultraviolet Researcher), but instead, two stars of spectral class A were discovered.
The evolution of the SuWt 2 system
At present, such an evolution model of SuWt 2 has been developed. At the place of the nebula there was a system of three stars : two stars of spectral class A rotated very close to each other, and a more massive one moved in orbit in the distance. Then the massive star entered the stage of the red giant and captured two neighboring stars in its gravitational field. The close coexistence of the three stars caused instability in the upper layers of the red giant, due to which there was an explosion, the star dropped its envelope, forming a now visible nebula, itself turning into a white dwarf.