US EditionAstronomers 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.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Mysterious Iron Bar Spotted In Ring Nebula By Astronomers
What if a familiar cosmic landmark still had secrets to hide? That’s exactly what astronomers discovered in the Ring Nebula, a glowing shell of gas and dust that’s been studied for centuries. Yet it still managed to surprise scientists.The nebula, also known as Messier 57, was spotted in 1779 and sits about 2,600 light-years away in the constellation Lyra. But new observations using the WEAVE instrument on the William Herschel Telescope have rev…
What Created This Strange Iron Bar In The Ring Nebula?
The Ring Nebula is a well-studied planetary nebula about 2,570 light-years away. Nnew observations of the nebula with a new instrument have revealed a previously unseen component. The William Herschel Telescope used its WEAVE instrument to detect a massive 'iron bar' inside the nebula's inner layer.
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.
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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