Jones-Emberson 1
Planetary nebula
Jones-Emberson 1
is the
death shroud
of a dying Sun-like star.
It lies some 1,600 light-years from Earth toward the
sharp-eyed
constellation Lynx.
About 4 light-years across,
the expanding remnant of the dying star's atmosphere was
shrugged off
into interstellar space, as the star's
central supply of hydrogen and then helium for fusion was
finally depleted after billions of years.
Visible near the center of the planetary nebula
is what remains of the stellar core, a blue-hot
white dwarf star.
Also known as PK 164 +31.1, the nebula is faint and very
difficult to glimpse at a telescope's eyepiece.
But this deep broadband image
combining 22 hours of exposure time does show it off in exceptional detail.
Stars within our own Milky Way galaxy as well as background galaxies
across the universe are scattered through the clear field of view.
Ephemeral
on the cosmic stage, Jones-Emberson 1
will fade away over the next few thousand years.
Its hot, central white dwarf star will take
billions
of years to cool.