The Little Ghost Nebula: NGC 6369 in Ophiuchus | European Southern Observatory
Known as the Little Ghost Nebula, NGC 6369 is a planetary nebula in the constellation Ophiuchus, the serpent-bearer. The nebula is relatively faint with an apparent magnitude of 12.9 and the clear detail of this image shows the power of the Adaptive Optics Facility-equipped MUSE instrument of the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The white dwarf star is clearly visible in the middle of the nebular gas that is expanding out in rings.
The Little Ghost Nebula was discovered by William Herschel in 1784. Round and planet-shaped, the nebula is also relatively faint. The high energy radiation from the central white dwarf star causes the surrounding nebula to emit light. A white dwarf is a dense, Earth-sized stellar remnant formed when a star like the Sun exhausts its nuclear fuel and sheds its outer layers. The nebula's main ring structure is about a light-year across and the glow from ionized oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen atoms are colored blue, green, and red respectively.
The Little Ghost Nebula should not be confused with the Ghost Nebula (Sh2-136) or the Ghost Head Nebula (NGC 2080).
Learn more about the VLT and its MUSE instrument:
Credit: ESO/P. Weilbacher (AIP)
Release Date: Aug. 2, 2017
Release Date: Aug. 2, 2017
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