Revealing the Structure of The Ring Nebula | Hubble

Revealing the Structure of The Ring Nebula | Hubble

This is an artist's impression of the Ring Nebula's structure, fading from a Hubble image into a 3D visualization.

Based on Hubble observations of the nebula, which is actually shaped a little like a distorted doughnut. Although the center of this doughnut may look empty, it is actually full of lower density material that stretches both towards and away from us, creating a shape similar to a rugby ball slotted into the doughnut's central gap. The space around the nebula is turbulent and full of knotty structures that formed in the nebula's past.

The brightest part of this nebula is what we see as the colorful main ring. This is composed of gas thrown off by a dying star at the center of the nebula.

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 35 seconds

Release Date: May 23, 2013

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