Astrophoto Lab
--- your online source for astronomical & satellite images ---

Planetary Nebula NGC 4361
Home
Welcome!
General Information
Special Galleries
AstroIndex
EarthIndex
Deep Space
Galaxies
Nebulae
Stars, Supernovae
Solar System
Earth from Space
NASA Space Programs
Other Astro Images
Posters
Space Image Gallery
Useful Links
Credits & Useage
Feedback
Signup
Name: NGC 4361
Description: Planetary Nebula
Position (J2000): RA 12h 24m 30.6s Dec -18° 47' 3.1"
Constellation: Corvus
Distance: 3,900 Light Years
Visual Magnitude: 11
Angular size: 2.1 arcmin
Field of View: 6.1 x 6.1 arcminutes
Orientation: North is 108.2° right of vertical
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Release Date: August 5, 2009
Click the image to buy a print
+
—————————————————————————————————————————————————

ABOUT THIS IMAGE:

This infrared picture shows a dying star called NGC 4361 first discovered by William Herschel on February 7, 1785. This star was once a lot like our sun, before it evolved and puffed out its outer layers. The object, called a planetary nebula, is unusual in that is has four lobes, or jets, of ejected material instead of the standard two. Astronomers suspect the there might be two dying stars inside the nebula, each producing a bipolar jet. Orange primarily shows heated gas.

This image is one of the first to be taken during Spitzer's warm mission -- a new phase that began after the telescope, which operated for more than five-and-a-half years, ran out of liquid coolant. The picture was snapped with the two infrared channels that still work at Spitzer's still-quite-chilly temperature of 30 Kelvin (about minus 406 Fahrenheit). The two infrared channels are part of Spitzer's infrared array camera: 3.6-micron light is blue and 4.5-micron light is orange.

This picture was taken while the telescope was being re-commissioned, on July 18.