Contact: Lars Lindberg Christensen
lars@eso.org
49-893-200-6306
European Space Agency

Hubble's View of Planetary Nebula NGC 2440

Caption: This Hubble image of NGC 2440 shows the last colorful display of a star like our Sun in the act of dying. The star is ending its life by casting off its outer layers of gas, which formed a cocoon around the star's remaining core. Ultraviolet light from the dying star makes the material glow. The burned-out star, called a white dwarf, is the white dot in the center.

Credit: ESA, K. Noll (STScI)

Usage Restrictions: For non-commercial use only

Related news release: The colorful demise of a Sun-like star