Astronomers uncover the mystery behind the breath-taking nebula NGC 6164/6165
An unusual binary stellar pair lies at the heart of this beautiful swirl of heated gas and dust
Many a stellar astrophysicist have been intrigued by gas nebulae. The public has also had the privilege of gazing at the sheer beauty of these large clouds of gas and dust. Since the mid-90s, NASA has released dozens of images of these gorgeous nebulae to the public — all captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Do the words Pillars of Creation or the Horsehead Nebula come to mind?
While the images of nebulae are astounding to look at, it is not always straightforward for Astrophysicists to determine the timeline of events that led to a nebula’s formation. Such is the case for the nebulae named NGC 6164/6165. To discover the progenitors of this huge expanse of ionised gas, astronomers from the European Southern Observatory collated nine-years’ worth to obtain evidence that would help uncover the mystery. The data acquired was acquired from observations made by telescopes at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Paranal Observatory.
To obtain sharp images of the sky, astronomers have made use of a technique that is often associated with radio astronomy — interferometry. At the basic level, interferometry…
