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.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Space_&_Time
# Stars # Nebulae # Extrasolar_Planets # Jupiter #
Astronomy # Galaxies # Cosmology # Solar_Flare
* RELATED_TERMS
o Red_giant o Supernova o Galaxy o Open_cluster o
Planetary_nebula o Blue_supergiant_star o Gas_giant o
Alpha_Centauri

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Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230713142116.htm

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