Planetary nebula NGC 2899 glows from the energy of the hot white dwarf star in the center. The cavity in the expelled gas resembles the shape of a moth. The shape may be the result of the fact that the dying star that gave rise to the nebula orbits around a companion star in the center. The whole nebula is more than 2 lightyears across.
Beautiful new #HubbleTelescope image of the "death-shroud nebula" with catalog designation #NGC2899. The central star is giving off its outer layers in dying. What does the cavity in the gas look like to you?
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