Gemini South, one half of the International Gemini Observatory operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, has captured an image of a rare bipolar reflection nebula. This nebula, nicknamed the Toby Jug Nebula due to its resemblance to an old English drinking vessel, is formed by the interactions between a dying red giant star and a shredded companion star.
The Toby Jug Nebula, situated about 1200 light-years away in the constellation Carina, is a double-lobed cloud of gas and dust illuminated by a red giant star at its center. These structures are unique to red giants in their end-of-life phase and offer valuable insights into stellar evolution.
The image showcases the Toby Jug Nebula’s symmetrical double-looped structure and glowing stellar heart, providing astronomers with important information about the evolution of aging stars and the cosmic structures they create.
The progenitor of the Toby Jug Nebula is the red giant star HR3126, which formed when a star exhausted its hydrogen supply. As the star contracted, its core temperature increased and it expanded, reaching 400 times its original size. HR3126 burned through its hydrogen supply rapidly due to its larger mass compared to the Sun.
As HR3126 expanded, it shed its outer layers, resulting in a magnificent structure of gas and dust that reflects the central star’s light. Detailed studies have revealed that silicon dioxide is likely the compound reflecting HR3126’s light.
Astronomers believe that the bipolar structure of the Toby Jug Nebula is the result of interactions between the central red giant and a binary companion star. However, observations have not revealed a companion to HR3126. Instead, a compact disk of material around the central star suggests that a former binary companion may have been shredded, triggering the formation of the nebula.
In approximately five billion years, our Sun will also become a red giant and eventually evolve into a planetary nebula, leaving behind a vibrant nebula with the cooling Sun at its core.
The image was processed by NOIRLab’s Communication, Education & Engagement team as part of the NOIRLab Legacy Imaging Program. Gemini South utilized the GMOS spectrographs to capture this exceptional view of the Toby Jug Nebula.
For more information, please refer to the term “planetary nebulae.” This term, coined by astronomer William Herschel in the 1780s, is a misnomer as these nebulae have no connection to planets and were named due to their round shape observed through early telescopes.