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Astronomers spot mysterious 'iron bar' in well-known Ring Nebula
The iron bar spans roughly 500 times Pluto's orbit and contains iron mass comparable to Mars, possibly revealing new insights into a dying star's planetary nebula.
- On Jan. 15, University College London and Cardiff University published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society a discovery of a narrow, bar-shaped cloud of iron atoms inside the Ring Nebula.
- Using WEAVE's LIFU to map the nebula, the team employed the Large Integral Field Unit mounted on the William Herschel Telescope at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, La Palma.
- Measurements show the bar spans about 3.7 trillion miles and the iron cloud contains iron mass roughly comparable to Mars within the Ring Nebula inner layer.
- Researchers outline two possible origins: the iron bar either records how the parent star expelled material or is plasma from a vaporized rocky planet, with Earth facing a similar fate in around 5 billion years.
- With WEAVE scheduled for eight major surveys over the next five years, Roger Wesson noted `It would be very surprising if the iron bar in the Ring Nebula is unique` and plans higher-resolution follow-ups.
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In the middle of the famous ring nebula, researchers have discovered an enigmatic iron structure that could provide clues to the fate of the Earth.
·Berlin, Germany
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Mysterious Bar Spotted In Famous Ring Nebula Leaves Scientists Scratching Their Heads
Astronomers have found something strange cutting through the center of the Ring Nebula, one of the most photographed objects in the night sky. The post Mysterious Bar Spotted In Famous Ring Nebula Leaves Scientists Scratching Their Heads appeared first on StudyFinds.
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Leaning Left0Leaning Right2Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution80% Center
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- 80% of the sources are Center
80% Center
C 80%
R 20%
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