Planetary Nebula ESO 378-1 | European Southern Observatory

This extraordinary bubble, glowing like the ghost of a star in the haunting darkness of space, may appear supernatural and mysterious, but it is a familiar astronomical object—a planetary nebula, the remnants of a dying star. This is the best view of the little-known object ESO 378-1 yet obtained and was captured by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in northern Chile.

Distance: 3,500 light years

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: August 5, 2015

#NASA #ESO #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebula #PlanetaryNebula #ESO3781 #Hydra #Constellation #MilkyWay #Galaxy #Cosmos #Universe #Telescope #VLT #Chile #Europe #STEM #Education