MSGID: 1:317/3 64b0cf68   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Rare, double-lobe nebula resembles overflowing cosmic 'jug'    
    Gemini South captures the spectacular end-of-life display of a red-giant   
   star    
      
     Date:   
         July 13, 2023   
     Source:   
         Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)   
     Summary:   
         A billowing pair of nearly symmetrical loops of dust and gas mark   
         the death throes of an ancient red-giant star. The resulting   
         structure, said to resemble an old style of English jug, is a   
         rarely seen bipolar reflection nebula. Evidence suggests that this   
         object formed by the interactions between the dying red giant and   
         a now-shredded companion star.   
      
      
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   A billowing pair of nearly symmetrical loops of dust and gas mark   
   the death throes of an ancient red-giant star, as captured by Gemini   
   South, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, operated by   
   NSF's NOIRLab. The resulting structure, said to resemble an old style   
   of English jug, is a rarely seen bipolar reflection nebula. Evidence   
   suggests that this object formed by the interactions between the dying   
   red giant and a now-shredded companion star.   
      
   The glowing nebula IC 2220, nicknamed the Toby Jug Nebula owing to its   
   resemblance to an old English drinking vessel, is a rare astronomical   
   find.   
      
   This reflection nebula, located about 1200 light-years away in the   
   direction of the constellation Carina (the keel), is a double-lobed,   
   or bipolar, cloud of gas and dust created and illuminated by the   
   red-giant star at its center. This end-of-life phase of red giant stars   
   is relatively brief, and the celestial structures that form around   
   them are rare, making the Toby Jug Nebula an excellent case study into   
   stellar evolution.   
      
   This image, captured by the Gemini South telescope, one half of the   
   International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF's NOIRLab, showcases   
   the Toby Jug Nebula's magnificent, nearly symmetrical double-looped   
   structure and glowing stellar heart. These features are unique to red   
   giants transitioning from aging stars to planetary nebulae [1] and   
   therefore offer astronomers valuable insight into the evolution of low-   
   to intermediate-mass stars nearing the end of their lives as well as   
   the cosmic structures they form.   
      
   At the heart of the Toby Jug Nebula is its progenitor, the red-giant star   
   HR3126. Red giants form when a star burns through its supply of hydrogen   
   in its core. Without the outward force of fusion, the star begins to   
   contract. This raises the core temperature and causes the star to then   
   swell up to 400 times its original size. Though HR3126 is considerably   
   younger than our Sun -- a mere 50 million years old compared to the Sun's   
   4.6 billion years -- it is five times the mass. This allowed the star   
   to burn through its hydrogen supply and become a red giant much faster   
   than the Sun.   
      
   As HR 3126 swelled, its atmosphere expanded and it began to shed its outer   
   layers. The expelled stellar material flowed out into the surrounding   
   area, forming a magnificent structure of gas and dust that reflects the   
   light from the central star. Detailed studies of the Toby Jug Nebula in   
   infrared light have revealed that silicon dioxide (silica) is the most   
   likely compound reflecting HR3126's light.   
      
   Astronomers theorize that bipolar structures similar to those seen in   
   the Toby Jug Nebula are the result of interactions between the central   
   red giant and a binary companion star. Previous observations, however,   
   found no such companion to HR3126. Instead, astronomers observed an   
   extremely compact disk of material around the central star. This finding   
   suggests that a former binary companion was possibly shredded into the   
   disk, which may have triggered the formation of the surrounding nebula.   
      
   In about five billion years from now, when our Sun has burned through   
   its supply of hydrogen, it too will become a red giant and eventually   
   evolve into a planetary nebula. In the very distant future, all that will   
   be left of our Solar System will be a nebula as vibrant as the Toby Jug   
   Nebula with the slowly cooling Sun at its heart.   
      
   The image was processed by NOIRLab's Communication, Education & Engagement   
   team as part of the NOIRLab Legacy Imaging Program. The observations   
   were made with Gemini South on Cerro Pacho'n in Chile using one of the   
   dual Gemini Multi- Object Spectrographs (GMOS). Though spectrographs   
   are designed to split light into various wavelengths for study, the GMOS   
   spectrographs also have powerful imaging capabilities, as demonstrated   
   by this exceptional view of the Toby Jug Nebula.   
      
   More information [1]The term "planetary nebulae" is a misnomer; they   
   are unrelated to planets.   
      
   The term was likely first used in the 1780s by astronomer William   
   Herschel, who noted their seemingly round, planet-like shape when observed   
   through early telescopes.   
      
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230713142116.htm   
      
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