Astronomers Gaze Into the 'Crystal Ball Nebula' and See a Vision of Our Dying Sun — Space Photo of the Week

Astronomers gaze into the 'Crystal Ball Nebula' and see a vision of our dying sun — Space photo of the week

The Crystal Ball Nebula has captivated astronomers for more than 200 years, and it offers a bittersweet glimpse of a dying star system similar to our own.

Dying star resembles a billowing crystal ball in new telescope photo - WXXV News 25

By  MARCIA DUNN CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A dying star has never looked so lovely. The Gemini North Telescope atop Hawaii’s tallest peak, Mauna Kea, captured the star in its last gasps. The image was released Thursday by the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab, which operates the telescope. It’s actually a binary star system 1,500 light-years away, nicknamed the Crystal Ball Nebula because of the milky white, spherical cloud around it. A li…