Wolf-Rayet nebula NGC 2359, optical image. This nebula, lying around 40,000 light years from Earth in the constellation Canis Major, is sometimes know

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Wolf-Rayet nebula NGC 2359, optical image. This nebula, lying around 40,000 light years from Earth in the constellation Canis Major, is sometimes known as Thor's Helmet. A Wolf-Rayet nebula is formed by the ejection of glowing, ionised gas from a hot, central star. These Wolf-Rayet stars lose mass 100 times faster than stars of comparible luminosity and may be a million times more luminous than the Sun. The interaction of the ejected gas with interstellar matter forms a bubble around the star, which glows when ionised by the star's radiation.

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Size: 4872px × 5029px
Photo credit: © CANADA-FRANCE-HAWAII TELESCOPE/JEAN-CHARLES CUILLANDRE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 2359, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, canada, canis, cfht, france, hawaii, helmet, ionised, major, nebula, ngc, pinwheel, plasma, space, star, stars, stellar, telescope, thors, wolf-rayet, wr