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Stingray Nebula in 2016

Stingray Nebula image from 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 1996. When comparing the imaging, researchers discovered unprecedented changes in the light emitted by glowing nitrogen (shown in red), hydrogen (blue) and oxygen (green) being blasted off by the dying star at the center of the nebula.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    17:16:21.07
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -59:29:23.64
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Ara
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    18,260 light-years
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is about 6 arcsec across (about 0.5 light-years)

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
    The HST observations include those from programs 6039 (M. Bobrowsky) and 14126 (Z. Edwards)
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    WFC3/UVIS
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    22 January 2016
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F502N, F656N, F658N
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Hen 3-1357 (Stingray Nebula)
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Planetary Nebula
  • 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)

Downloads

  • Full Res, 900 × 900
    png (171.83 KB)
  • Full Res, 900 × 900
    tif (296.01 KB)
Stingray Nebula image from 2016
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFPC2 and WFC3/UVIS instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F502N Green: F656N Red: F658N

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

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 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

Stingray Nebula image from 1996

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...

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 11, 2025
Contact
Media

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

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