The Ring Nebula, imaged by Hubble and JWST, is a planetary nebula formed from gas expelled by Sun-like stars, revealing complex structures beneath its ring-like appearance.
Astronomers used the Submillimeter Array to map ionized carbon monoxide in the Ring Nebula, allowing them to reconstruct its three-dimensional shape as a barrel-like structure.
A younger, tilted polar outflow exists within the 'barrel' of the Ring Nebula, while a thin layer of neutral molecules encases the ionized gas.
The central remnant of the dying star is crucial to the Ring Nebula's structure, with a search for its companion star still ongoing.
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