                        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 December 24
   A nebula in purple and pink is shown with dust pillars curving around.
    In the center is a bright orange spot. Please see the explanation for
                         more detailed information.

                    NGC 2440: Cocoon of a New White Dwarf
      Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing: H. Bond (STScI), R.
                  Ciardullo (PSU), Forrest Hamilton (STScI)

   Explanation: What's that in the center? Like a butterfly, a white dwarf
   star begins its life by casting off a cocoon of gas that enclosed its
   former self. In this analogy, however, the Sun would be a caterpillar
   and the ejected shell of gas would become the prettiest cocoon of all.
   In the featured cocoon, the planetary nebula designated NGC 2440
   contains one of the hottest white dwarf stars known. The white dwarf
   can be seen as the bright orange dot near the image center. Our Sun
   will eventually become a white dwarf butterfly, but not for another 5
   billion years.

                  Tomorrow's picture: mansion mountain moon
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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