Blue Nebula Surrounding Star WR 31a
At the center of this Hubble Space Telescope image is a Wolf-Rayet star known as WR 31a, located about 30 000 light-years away in the constellation of Carina (The Keel). The blue bubble appearing to encircle WR 31a is a Wolf-Rayet nebula--an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other gases. Created when stellar winds interact with the outer layers of hydrogen ejected by Wolfå_Rayet stars, these nebulae are frequently ring-shaped or spherical. The bubble is expanding at a rate of around 220,000 kilometers per hour. WR 31a will eventually end its life as a spectacular supernova, and the stellar material expelled from its explosion will later nourish a new generation of stars and planets.
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Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: 31a, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, blue, body, carina, celestial, cosmography, cosmological, cosmology, cosmos, deep, dust, emission, evolution, galaxies, galaxy, gas, gravity, heavenly, nebula, nebulae, object, planetary, radiation, science, sky, space, star, starbirth, stellar, surrounding, time, universe, wave, wind, wolf-rayet, wr
