NGC 7009: The Saturn Nebula
			
		
		
		
			The layers of the 
Saturn Nebula 
give a complex picture of how this 
planetary nebula 
was created.  The 
above picture, 
taken in April 1996 and released last week, 
allows a better understanding of the mysterious process that 
transformed a low-mass star into a 
white dwarf star.  
A computer model indicates that the central star of 
NGC 7009 first expelled the green gas that now appears barrel shaped.  
This green gas now confines stellar winds flowing from the central star, 
creating a jet which forms the 
ansae that appear in red at the tips.  
Much remains unknown, including why the gas has not become 
turbulent.