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Blue Nebula Surrounding Star WR 31a

At the center of this Hubble Space Telescope image is a Wolf-Rayet star known as WR 31a, located about 30 000 light-years away in the constellation of Carina (The Keel). The blue bubble appearing to encircle WR 31a is a Wolf-Rayet nebula--an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other gases. Created when stellar winds interact with the outer layers of hydrogen ejected by WolfÂRayet stars, these nebulae are frequently ring-shaped or spherical. The bubble is expanding at a rate of around 220,000 kilometers per hour. WR 31a will eventually end its life as a spectacular supernova, and the stellar material expelled from its explosion will later nourish a new generation of stars and planets.

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Title: Blue Nebula Surrounding Star WR 31a

Caption: At the center of this Hubble Space Telescope image is a Wolf-Rayet star known as WR 31a, located about 30 000 light-years away in the constellation of Carina (The Keel). The blue bubble appearing to encircle WR 31a is a Wolf-Rayet nebula--an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other gases. Created when stellar winds interact with the outer layers of hydrogen ejected by WolfÂRayet stars, these nebulae are frequently ring-shaped or spherical. The bubble is expanding at a rate of around 220,000 kilometers per hour. WR 31a will eventually end its life as a spectacular supernova, and the stellar material expelled from its explosion will later nourish a new generation of stars and planets.

Category: Astronomy & Space

Credit: Album / Science Source / ESA/Hubble & NASA

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Image size: 4354 × 4200 px | 52.3 MB

Print size: 36.9 × 35.6 cm | 1714.2 × 1653.5 in (300 dpi)

Keywords: ASTRONOMIA • ASTRONOMICAL OBJECT • ASTRONOMICAL • ASTRONOMY & SPACE • ASTRONOMY • ASTROPHYSICAL • ASTROPHYSICS • BLUE • BLUE. • CARINA • CELESTIAL BODY • CELESTIAL OBJECT • COSMOGRAPHY • COSMOLOGICAL • COSMOLOGY • COSMOS • DEEP SKY • DEEP SPACE • ÉMISSION • GALAXIAS • GALAXIES • GALAXY • GRAVITATION • GRAVITY • HEAVENLY BODY • NEBULA • NEBULAE • OUTERSPACE • PLANETARY NEBULA • RADIATION • RADIATIONS • SCIENCE • SPACE (COSMOS) • SPACE DUST • SPACE GAS • SPACE • SPATIAL • STAR • STARBIRTH • STELLAR EVOLUTION • STELLAR WIND • TIME • UNIVERSE • WAVE • WOLF-RAYET • WR 31A • RADIATIONS