Chandra Release - July 22, 2024

Visual Description: Hb 5

This composite image of the planetary nebula HB 5 resembles a bulbous bow tie in mottled purples. This is a Sun-like star towards the end of its life. At the heart of the nebula, or the brilliant golden white knot of the bow tie, is a recent mass ejection from the dying star. To its right and left are matching bulbous spheres of churning purple gas. Each sphere of gas is several times larger than the exploding knot between them. Also present in the nebula are faint clouds in neon blue and mustard yellow. The blue cloud, most prominent at our upper left, represents X-rays observed by Chandra. The mustard yellow cloud, which highlights the star’s recent mass ejection, represents carbon monoxide gas observed in radio waves by ALMA.