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                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                   2023 April 16   
         An elongated colorful nebula is shown elongated horizontally and   
       pinched in the middle. In the very center is a bright source. Please   
                see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                         M2-9: Wings of a Butterfly Nebula   
         Image Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA; Processing: Judy   
                                      Schmidt   
      
      Explanation: Are stars better appreciated for their art after they die?   
      Actually, stars usually create their most artistic displays as they   
      die. In the case of low-mass stars like our Sun and M2-9 pictured here,   
      the stars transform themselves from normal stars to white dwarfs by   
      casting off their outer gaseous envelopes. The expended gas frequently   
      forms an impressive display called a planetary nebula that fades   
      gradually over thousands of years. M2-9, a butterfly planetary nebula   
      2100 light-years away shown in representative colors, has wings that   
      tell a strange but incomplete tale. In the center, two stars orbit   
      inside a gaseous disk 10 times the orbit of Pluto. The expelled   
      envelope of the dying star breaks out from the disk creating the   
      bipolar appearance. Much remains unknown about the physical processes   
      that cause and shape planetary nebulae.   
      
                        Tomorrow's picture: lightning elves   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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