"Day 6 of the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar: The Shell of a Dying Star. About 1,500 light-years from Earth, a dying star at the heart of planetary nebula NGC 1514 is performing a spectacular final act. One of a pair of binary stars has been shedding huge amounts of gas and dust for more than 4,000 years, blasting into the surrounding space and lighting it up from within."
"NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, NASA-JPL, Caltech, UCLA See the full advent calendar here, where a new image will be revealed each day until December 25."
At roughly 1,500 light-years distance, planetary nebula NGC 1514 surrounds a dying binary star whose activity produces a luminous shell. One member of the binary has expelled large quantities of gas and dust for more than 4,000 years, launching material into the surrounding interstellar medium. The expelled material is energized and illuminated from within, creating the nebula's visible structure. The mass loss and outflow sculpt the nebular morphology and demonstrate a late stage of stellar evolution. An image of the object is featured in the 2025 Space Telescope Advent Calendar with daily images through December 25.
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