Boomerang Nebula

The Boomerang Nebula is recognized as the coldest known natural environment in the universe. The temperature of the gas expanding from the dying star at its center is measured at about 1 Kelvin (–272°C or –458°F), which is colder than the background temperature of empty space.

It is classified as a protoplanetary nebula, a brief transitional phase in a dying star's life. It represents a stage where an aging red giant star has ejected its outer shell of gas, but the core is not yet hot enough to ionize the gas into a bright planetary nebula.

Astronomers Keith Taylor and Mike Scarrott gave it this name in 1979 after observing its asymmetrical, boomerang-like shape. Later images from the Hubble Space Telescope revealed that its shape is actually more like an hourglass or a bow-tie than a boomerang.

The nebula is located roughly 5,000 light-years away from our solar system. It can be found within the southern constellation of Centaurus.