NASA’s Hubble Telescope Captures Rare Image of Dying ‘Rotten Egg’ Star – TIME

The Calabash Nebula, pictured here which has the technical name OH 231.8+04.2 is a spectacular example of the death of a low-mass star like the Sun. ESA/Hubble/NASA

NASA and the European Space Agency's (ESA) Hubble Space Telescope has captured a rare image that shows the spectacular death of a star.

The dying star can be seen transforming from a red giant to a planetary nebula called the Calabash Nebula, technically known as 231.8+04.2, according to the ESA. During this transformation, the dying star blows its outer layers of gas and dust out into the surrounding space at a speed close to 621,371 miles per hour.

The nebula is also known as the Rotten Egg Nebula, the ESA reports, because it contains a lot of sulphur, which smells like rotten egg when it combines with other elements. Luckily, as the nebula resides over 5,000 light-years away in the constellation of Puppis, humans don't need to worry about the stench.

The star's death occurs "within the blink of an eye in astronomical terms," according to the ESA, which explains why this kind of photo is hard to come by. Next, the star will evolve into a fully formed planetary nebula over the next thousand years.

Go here to read the rest:
NASA's Hubble Telescope Captures Rare Image of Dying 'Rotten Egg' Star - TIME