Our Sun Awaits This Ghostly Fate
Images of a planetary nebula offer hints to the destiny in store for our own solar system.
Stars have ghosts. Just ask the Southern Owl Nebula.
Officially known as ESO 378-1, the planetary nebula is a cloud of gas that stands in place of where a star used to be.
And it's the fate awaiting our own sun.
Once a star too small to undergo the supernova process approaches the end of its lifespan, it begins to release gases.
Most of the gas is burned through relatively quickly—after about 20,000 years. What causes the orb to glow is its small ionized core.
Our sun itself will
Stars have ghosts. Just ask the Southern Owl Nebula.
Officially known as ESO 378-1, the planetary nebula is a cloud of gas that stands in place of where a star used to be.
And it's the fate awaiting our own sun.
Once a star too small to undergo the supernova process approaches the end of its lifespan, it begins to release gases.
Most of the gas is burned through relatively quickly—after about 20,000 years. What causes the orb to glow is its small ionized core.
Our sun itself will