Planetary Nebula Abell 7 in Lepus

Planetary Nebula Abell 7 in Lepus

Very faint planetary nebula Abell 7 is about 1,800 light-years distant. It lies just south of Orion in planet Earth's skies toward the constellation Lepus, The Hare. Surrounded by Milky Way stars and near the line-of-sight to distant background galaxies its generally simple spherical shape, about 8 light-years in diameter, is revealed in this deep telescopic image. Within the cosmic cloud are beautiful and complex structures, enhanced by the use of long exposures and narrowband filters that capture emission from hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen atoms. Otherwise Abell 7 would be much too faint to be appreciated by our eyes.

A planetary nebula represents a very brief final phase in stellar evolution that our own Sun will experience 5 billion years hence, as the nebula's central, once sun-like star shrugs off its outer layers. Abell 7 itself is estimated to be 20,000 years old. However, its central star, seen here as a fading white dwarf, is around 10 billion years old.

Image Credit & Copyright: Vikas Chander
Vikas' website: 

https://www.instagram.com/vikaschanderastrophotography/
Release Date: March 7, 2025

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