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Digital Universe Guide - Hayden Planetarium

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94 3. THE MILKY WAY ATLAS<br />

3.3.12 Planetary Nebulae<br />

Group Name pn<br />

Reference Strasbourg-ESO Catalogue of Galactic Planetary Nebulae<br />

(Acker+ 1992)<br />

Prepared by Brian Abbott (AMNH/<strong>Hayden</strong>)<br />

Labels Yes<br />

Files planneb.speck, planneb.label<br />

Dependencies none<br />

Census 778 nebulae and labels<br />

A planetary nebula is an expanding shell of gas ejected from a star late in its life cycle. Appearing<br />

like greenish disks to a telescopic observer, planetary nebulae received their name from their<br />

resemblance to the gaseous planets of our Solar System. In no way are they related to planets. Rather,<br />

they are products of dying stars.<br />

As an intermediate-mass star exhausts its core hydrogen fuel, its helium core contracts and heats to<br />

meet the energy needs of the star. The core contraction releases gravitational energy, which has two<br />

effects. First, hydrogen just outside the core begins to burn, producing a more massive helium core over<br />

time. Second, the expansion of the star’s envelope, or its outer layers, occurs. The star becomes a red<br />

giant.<br />

For stars of less than about two solar masses, the core continues to condense until the temperature<br />

and density become sufficient to burn helium into carbon. The ignition of helium occurs rapidly,<br />

producing a flash of light, and the star’s outer shells expand, leaving a bright core that soon becomes a<br />

white dwarf star. These expanding shells become the planetary nebula.<br />

Planetaries are often spherical. As the gas from the star expands, it sweeps up the cooler gas like a<br />

snowplow. The gas glows because of the ultraviolet light from the stellar remains at the center, and<br />

often it appears green because of an abundance of ionized oxygen (OIII), which radiates in the green<br />

part of the visible spectrum.<br />

Planetary Nebulae in the Galaxy The Milky Way consists of two major star populations: the older<br />

halo population and the younger disk population. Because the planetary nebula phase of a star’s<br />

evolution is relatively short, we observe only those that have occurred recently in the younger stellar<br />

population. Therefore, we expect to see planetary nebulae in the disk of the Galaxy.<br />

Moreover, the inner disk of the Galaxy has a higher star density and a higher ratio of young stars to

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