description Hourglass Nebula (MyCn 18) Overview
The Hourglass Nebula (MyCn 18) is a young planetary nebula located in the southern constellation of Musca. It is noted for its distinctive, pinched-waist hourglass shape, which consists of layered, colorful gas regions. High-resolution images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in the 1990s revealed its complex structures in unprecedented detail. Unlike many planetary nebulae, its central star is visibly offset from the exact center of its symmetrical gas rings.
help Hourglass Nebula (MyCn 18) FAQ
Why does MyCn 18 look like an hourglass?
Fast stellar winds and previously expelled material have shaped its gas into two opposing lobes with a narrow waist. The geometry is probably influenced by a dense equatorial region around the dying central star.
Where is the Hourglass Nebula located?
MyCn 18 lies in the southern constellation Musca. It is a planetary nebula within the Milky Way, not to be confused with the much larger star-forming Hourglass Nebula inside the Lagoon Nebula.
Are the colors in Hubble images of the Hourglass Nebula real?
The colors represent light emitted by different ionized gases and are assigned through filtered Hubble observations. They reveal physical structure and chemical regions, but the composite is not necessarily how the nebula would look to an unaided human eye.
Is there actually a planet inside the Hourglass Nebula?
No, "planetary nebula" is a historical term for glowing shells shed by aging stars. MyCn 18 is the product of stellar mass loss, and its bright central object is the exposed remnant of the star.
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