A writer and assistant professor in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, John Barrett teaches undergraduate courses such as Introduction to Creative Writing. With a strong interest in subjects that range from philosophy to cognitive science, Bloomsburg University professor John Barrett also has a long-standing passion for astronomy.
One remarkable image recently captured by European Space Observatory astronomers at the Very Large Telescope in Chile was of a “space butterfly.” So named for its shape and vivid blue, red, and purple hues, the space butterfly is a planetary nebula or an immense gas cloud that forms around a still unexploded ancient star.
With the name NGC 2899, the nebula is with the constellation Vela, only visible within the Southern Hemisphere, and is at a distance of between three and six thousand light-years from Earth. The ultraviolet radiation that is generating light represents the gas shells around the dying star. These are expected to last only a relatively short span of a few thousand years. In time the nebula will also be associated with the process of star rebirth, as nebulae contain the basic elements from which new suns are formed.
One remarkable image recently captured by European Space Observatory astronomers at the Very Large Telescope in Chile was of a “space butterfly.” So named for its shape and vivid blue, red, and purple hues, the space butterfly is a planetary nebula or an immense gas cloud that forms around a still unexploded ancient star.
With the name NGC 2899, the nebula is with the constellation Vela, only visible within the Southern Hemisphere, and is at a distance of between three and six thousand light-years from Earth. The ultraviolet radiation that is generating light represents the gas shells around the dying star. These are expected to last only a relatively short span of a few thousand years. In time the nebula will also be associated with the process of star rebirth, as nebulae contain the basic elements from which new suns are formed.
