description Gomez's Hamburger Overview
Gomez's Hamburger, cataloged as IRAS 18059-3211, is a peculiar nebula that visually resembles a sandwich due to its thick lane of dust sandwiched between two glowing regions. It was discovered in 1985 by Chilean astronomer Arturo Gomez at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. The object is actually an edge-on protoplanetary disk surrounding an evolved star. Astronomers study it to understand the complex dynamics of circumstellar disks.
help Gomez's Hamburger FAQ
Why is Gomez's Hamburger called a hamburger?
The object has a dark, thick dust lane between two brighter lobes, creating the visual impression of a sandwich. Its formal catalog designation is IRAS 18059-3211, while Gomez's Hamburger is the memorable nickname.
Who discovered Gomez's Hamburger?
Arturo Gomez discovered it in 1985 on sky photographs made at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. The discovery initially led astronomers to classify the object differently from the young-star interpretation now commonly discussed. [reference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomez%27s_Hamburger)
Is Gomez's Hamburger really a nebula?
It is an astronomical object consisting of a young star surrounded by a dense, edge-on protoplanetary disk and glowing material. The nickname is useful visually, but the object is not a food-shaped cloud in the ordinary sense.
Where in the sky is Gomez's Hamburger?
It lies in the constellation Sagittarius and is identified in infrared catalogs as IRAS 18059-3211. Its unusual dust geometry makes it especially valuable for studying young stellar systems and disk formation.
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