Last hurray dying star
Enlarge / The Butterfly Nebula, located just under 4,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Scorpius, is a striking example of a planetary nebula, the final stage in the evolution of small to medium-sized stars. The silent butterfly’s “wings” consist of gas and dust that have been ejected from the dying star and illuminated from within by the remaining stellar core. The nebula’s symmetrical, double-lobed shape is a sign that a companion star is helping to form the escaping gas. Both the main star and its companion are hidden by a shroud of dust at the center of the nebula. Billions of years from now, as our Sun nears the end of its life and the helium core begins to coalesce at its core, it will swell dramatically and turn into what is known as a red giant star. After swallowing Mercury, Venus, and Earth with barely a burp, it will grow so large that it can no longer hold its outermost layer of gas and dust. In the glorious end, it will eject these layers into space to