This nebula, NGC 6164, was created by a rare O-type star, which was 40 times larger than the sun. The star in the center of this image is only 3 million years old. When the star's age doubles, it will explode and create a supernova explosion. The blue halo surrounding the star is caused by an earlier phase of the O star in the center.
Damn, I read somewhere that O-Type stars make up 0.00001 of the stars in the universe. Quite the sight to be able to see one go supernova.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I can wait 3 million years for that
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