Dissapearing PN - better hurry!

[gorann]

Just saw this news flash of a dissapearing planetary nebula. Those on the southern hemisphere with big enough scopes better hurry to get their images of it. Amazing that some things in space can change relatively quickly.

https://earthsky.org/space/disappearing-stingray-neula-20-years-hubble-images?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=afaf9a5902-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_02_02_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-afaf9a5902-394279161

 

[Jm1973]

That's pretty unprecedented.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very interesting. It is particularly odd that parts seem to be shrinking, not just fading

[John]

That is interesting. On the animation that is on that website the central star and the star next to it (line of sight ?) seem to be fading as well. Unless something is gradually obscuring them ?

 

 

Edited December 4, 2020 by John

[tomato]

Fascinating, file this one with the animation of M1 growing in size over ten years. Some DSOs do change in real time.

[bomberbaz]

Is it possible as John mentioned that there is some dust or gas etc that is simply obscuring it rather than it actually shrinking?

[gorann]

At the end of that news text there is a link to the scientific paper if anyone feels to did deeper into it. I was also struck by the apparent shrinking. Seems to go against physics so it is probably an illusion created by the fading of light.

[Mr Spock]

It does look like dust obscuration. It may recover in the future.

[wimvb]

4 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

It does look like dust obscuration. It may recover in the future.

 

5 hours ago, gorann said:

At the end of that news text there is a link to the scientific paper if anyone feels to did deeper into it. I was also struck by the apparent shrinking. Seems to go against physics so it is probably an illusion created by the fading of light.

Interesting read, this

https://imgsrc.hubblesite.org/hvi/uploads/science_paper/file_attachment/613/2009.01701.pdf

The authors conclude that the PN is shrinking, and that the weakening is not due to obscuration or foreground extinction. But they also hypothesize that the nebula may brighten again in due course, and show an additional shell. Exciting for those who can observe/image it.

[happy-kat]

The spooky thing is that the changes aren't real time as the light to show us the change is millions of years old

[wimvb]

17 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

The spooky thing is that the changes aren't real time as the light to show us the change is millions of years old

18 000 years, according to Göran’s link. It’s well within the Milky Way.