ESO Captures Spectacular Image of Toby Jug Nebula in Cosmic Gems Program

Astronomers have gotten a closer look at the Toby Jug Nebula. Captured as part of the ESO Cosmic Gems program, scientists now have a spectacular new image of this reflection nebula as it shines in the depths of space.

Located about 1200 light-years from Earth in the southern constellation of Carina, the Toy Jug Nebula is more formally known as IC 2220. It's created by a cloud of gas and dust that's illuminated from within by a star called HD 65750. The star, which is a red giant, has about five times the mass of our sun but is at a much more advanced stage of its life, despite only have an age of about 50 million years.

The nebula itself was actually created by this red giant, which has quickly been losing parts of its mass out into the surrounding space.  As the star ejects this material, the dust forms the nebula that can be seen with instruments. The dust itself is composed of elements such as carbon and simple, heat-resistant compounds such as titanium dioxide and calcium oxide (lime). In the case of this particular nebula, though, silicon dioxide is probably the most likely compound reflecting the star's light.

 Almost symmetrical, the Toy Jug Nebula spans about one light-year and is expected to slowly disappear as the star continues to die. Currently, the red giant is at a stage of its life where it has almost completely depleted its reserves of hydrogen, which fuels the reactions that occurred during most of its life. It has expanded enormously, and stars like HD 65750 burn a shell of helium outside a carbon-oxygen core, sometimes accompanied by a hydrogen shell closer to the star's surface.

In fact, our own sun will bloat into a similar red giant in the future. However, that won't be for billions of years. In the meantime, astronomers are enjoying the view of the Toby Jug Nebula, a spectacular gem in the midst of space.