Home Science Leaving so soon? Unusual planetary nebula fades mere decades after it arrived

Leaving so soon? Unusual planetary nebula fades mere decades after it arrived

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The tiny Stingray Nebula unexpectedly appeared in the 1980s is by far the youngest planetary nebula in our sky. But a team of astronomers recently analyzed a more recent image of the nebula, taken in 2016 by Hubble, and found that it has faded significantly and changed shape over the course of just 20 years. If dimming continues at current rates, in 20 or 30 years the Stingray Nebula will be barely perceptible.

Source: ScienceDaily.com