Suggested Searches

 

1 min read

Fading Stingray Nebula

This video shows the drastic changes to the planetary nebula Hen 3-1357, nicknamed the Stingray nebula, over two decades as captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The nebula is first seen as it was in 1996, with filaments and tendrils of gas glowing bright blue at its center. The wavy outer edges of gas also stand out against the dark background of the universe. The 1996 portrait then transitions to Hubble’s 2016 image, which shows a much dimmer nebula lacking in the pronounced wavy edges.
  • Release Date
    December 3, 2020
  • Science Release
    Hubble Captures Unprecedented Fading of Stingray Nebula
    Read the release
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, B. Balick (University of Washington), M. Guerrero (Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía), and G. Ramos-Larios (Universidad de Guadalajara), and J. DePasquale (STScI)

Downloads

  • 1280 × 720, 30 FPS
    mp4 (3.74 MB)

Related Images & Videos

Two different portraits of the Stingray nebula

Fading Stingray Nebula

This image compares two drastically different portraits of the Stingray nebula captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope 20 years apart. The image on the left, taken with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 in March 1996, shows the nebula’s central star in the final stages of...

Stingray Nebula image from 1996

Stingray Nebula in 1996

This image shows the planetary nebula Hen 3-1357, nicknamed the Stingray nebula, captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in March 1996. The image captures the final stages of the central star’s life, where a ballooning shroud of gas is cast off by the dying star. This image...

Stingray Nebula image from 2016

Stingray Nebula in 2016

This image shows the planetary nebula Hen 3-1357, nicknamed the Stingray nebula, captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in January 2016. This image of the Stingray nebula shows it has changed drastically in brightness and shape when compared to its first portrait by Hubble in...

Stingray Nebula image from 1996 with compass and scale

Compass Image for Stingray Nebula in 1996

Stingray Nebula image from 2016 with compass and scale

Compass Image for Stingray Nebula in 2016

Share

Details

Last Updated
Mar 11, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

Related Terms

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Hubble Space Telescope

Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.

Hubble Science Highlights

Hubble Images

Hubble News