                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2023 February 24

                              Jones-Emberson 1
      Image Credit & Copyright: Serge Brunier, Jean-François Bax, David
                              Vernet, C2PU/OCA

   Explanation: Planetary nebula Jones-Emberson 1 is the death shroud of a
   dying Sun-like star. It lies some 1,600 light-years from Earth toward
   the sharp-eyed constellation Lynx. About 4 light-years across, the
   expanding remnant of the dying star's atmosphere was shrugged off into
   interstellar space, as the star's central supply of hydrogen and then
   helium for fusion was finally depleted after billions of years. Visible
   near the center of the planetary nebula is what remains of the stellar
   core, a blue-hot white dwarf star. Also known as PK 164 +31.1, the
   nebula is faint and very difficult to glimpse at a telescope's
   eyepiece. But this deep broadband image combining 22 hours of exposure
   time does show it off in exceptional detail. Stars within our own Milky
   Way galaxy as well as background galaxies across the universe are
   scattered through the clear field of view. Ephemeral on the cosmic
   stage, Jones-Emberson 1 will fade away over the next few thousand
   years. Its hot, central white dwarf star will take billions of years to
   cool.

                         Tomorrow's picture: moonset
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