The source of activity
jets or jets rising from a planetary nebula, are a pair of orbiting each other
stars, scientists say.
The research team, led
by astronomer Henri Boffin of the European Southern Observatory studied strange
form of jets emitted by a planetary nebula Fleming 1, located in the southern
constellation Centaurs.
Despite their name,
planetary nebulas have nothing to do with planets - they are the last cry
emitted by dying white dwarf.
The researchers found
that within the nebula Fleming 1 is very close binary system of stars, with a
period of stars relative to each other is only 1.2 days.
One of the stars of the
system during its evolution from the red giant to the asymptotic giant branch
stars ballooned to epic proportions and gas began to flow to the companion
star. At this point, and there were jets nebula shapes. This period in the life
of the system lasted from 5000 to 10,000 years, after which the giant star has
become a white dwarf, and the emission of jets has stopped, says the academic.
The study appeared in
the journal Science on November 9.
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