Fast Low-Ionization Emission Region
Encyclopedia
Fast Low-Ionization Emission Region, or FLIER, is the name for volumes of gas with low ionization near the symmetry axis of many planetary nebula
e. Red in color, they and bolt out from planetary nebulae, clouds of ejected material from sunlike, old stars in the process of dying and exploding, at supersonic speeds. The Blinking Planetary features a set of FLIERs squirting horizontally from the nebula
. Their outflow speeds are significantly higher than the nebulae in which they are embedded, and their ionizations are much lower. FLIERs' high speeds suggest ages much younger than their parent nebulae, and their low ionizations indicate that the ultraviolet radiation that ionizes the gas around them does not penetrate into the FLIERs.
A picture of the Blinking Planetary nebula
was taken by the Hubble
on 27 January 1996, and the estimated distance from the telescope to the nebula is about 0.7 kiloparsecs or 2,200 light-years. Previously, nebulae and their FLIERs could be seen from ground-based telescopes with limited clarity. The Hubble Space Telescope's Blinking Planetary image credit goes to astronomers Bruce Balick of the University of Washington; Jason Alexander, University of Washington
; Arsen Hajian, U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, D.C.; Mario Perinotto, University of Florence
(Italy); Patrizio Patriarchi, Arcetri Observatory
(Italy); and Cornell's Terzian, who used a special instrument with the Hubble Telescope known as WFPC2 . Object NGC 7009, which also shows very prominent FLIERs, nicknamed the Saturn Nebula
, was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope on 28 April 1996, and is one of the images released. Astronomers believe the distance from here to the Saturn Nebula
is 0.42 kiloparsecs or 1,400 light-years.
Planetary nebula
A planetary nebula is an emission nebula consisting of an expanding glowing shell of ionized gas ejected during the asymptotic giant branch phase of certain types of stars late in their life...
e. Red in color, they and bolt out from planetary nebulae, clouds of ejected material from sunlike, old stars in the process of dying and exploding, at supersonic speeds. The Blinking Planetary features a set of FLIERs squirting horizontally from the nebula
Nebula
A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas, helium gas and other ionized gases...
. Their outflow speeds are significantly higher than the nebulae in which they are embedded, and their ionizations are much lower. FLIERs' high speeds suggest ages much younger than their parent nebulae, and their low ionizations indicate that the ultraviolet radiation that ionizes the gas around them does not penetrate into the FLIERs.
A picture of the Blinking Planetary nebula
Nebula
A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas, helium gas and other ionized gases...
was taken by the Hubble
Hubble
Hubble is a surname and may refer to:* Brian Hubble , American painter and illustrator* Eddie Hubble , American Jazz trombonist* Edwin Hubble , American astronomer* Jack Hubble , English cricketer...
on 27 January 1996, and the estimated distance from the telescope to the nebula is about 0.7 kiloparsecs or 2,200 light-years. Previously, nebulae and their FLIERs could be seen from ground-based telescopes with limited clarity. The Hubble Space Telescope's Blinking Planetary image credit goes to astronomers Bruce Balick of the University of Washington; Jason Alexander, University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
; Arsen Hajian, U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, D.C.; Mario Perinotto, University of Florence
University of Florence
The University of Florence is a higher study institute in Florence, central Italy. One of the largest and oldest universities in the country, it consists of 12 faculties...
(Italy); Patrizio Patriarchi, Arcetri Observatory
Arcetri Observatory
The Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri is an astronomical observatory located in Arcetri in the outskirts of Florence, Italy. Observatory staff carry out theoretical and observational astronomy as well as designing and constructing astronomical instrumentation...
(Italy); and Cornell's Terzian, who used a special instrument with the Hubble Telescope known as WFPC2 . Object NGC 7009, which also shows very prominent FLIERs, nicknamed the Saturn Nebula
Saturn Nebula
The Saturn Nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Aquarius. It was discovered by William Herschel on September 7, 1782, using a telescope of his own design in the garden at his home in Datchet, England, and was one of his earliest discoveries in his sky survey...
, was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope on 28 April 1996, and is one of the images released. Astronomers believe the distance from here to the Saturn Nebula
Saturn Nebula
The Saturn Nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Aquarius. It was discovered by William Herschel on September 7, 1782, using a telescope of his own design in the garden at his home in Datchet, England, and was one of his earliest discoveries in his sky survey...
is 0.42 kiloparsecs or 1,400 light-years.