Gum Nebula
Encyclopedia
Gum Nebula is an emission nebula
that can be found in the southern constellation
s Vela
and Puppis
. It lies roughly 400 parsecs from the Earth. Hard to distinguish, it is believed to be the greatly expanded (and still expanding) remains of a supernova that took place about a million years ago. It itself contains a smaller and younger remnant, the Vela Supernova Remnant
, along with the Vela Pulsar
.
It is named after its discoverer, the Australia
n astronomer Colin Stanley Gum
(1924-1960). Gum had published his findings in 1955 in a work called A study of diffuse southern H-alpha nebulae (see Gum catalog
)
Emission nebula
An emission nebula is a cloud of ionized gas emitting light of various colors. The most common source of ionization is high-energy photons emitted from a nearby hot star...
that can be found in the southern constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
s Vela
Vela (constellation)
Vela is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for the sails of a ship, and it was originally part of a larger constellation, the ship Argo Navis, which was later divided into three parts, the others being Carina and Puppis.-Stars:...
and Puppis
Puppis
Puppis is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is the Latin word for the poop deck of a ship, and Puppis represents the deck of the ship and its deckhouses...
. It lies roughly 400 parsecs from the Earth. Hard to distinguish, it is believed to be the greatly expanded (and still expanding) remains of a supernova that took place about a million years ago. It itself contains a smaller and younger remnant, the Vela Supernova Remnant
Vela Supernova Remnant
The Vela supernova remnant is a supernova remnant in the southern constellation Vela. Its source supernova exploded approximately 11,000-12,300 years ago...
, along with the Vela Pulsar
Vela Pulsar
The Vela Pulsar is a radio, optical, X-ray and gamma-emitting pulsar associated with Vela Supernova Remnant, in the constellation of Vela.- Supernova origins :...
.
It is named after its discoverer, the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n astronomer Colin Stanley Gum
Colin Stanley Gum
Colin Stanley Gum was an Australian astronomer who catalogued emission nebulae in the southern sky at the Mount Stromlo Observatory using wide field photography. Gum published his findings in 1955 in a study entitled A study of diffuse southern H-alpha nebulae which presented a catalog, now known...
(1924-1960). Gum had published his findings in 1955 in a work called A study of diffuse southern H-alpha nebulae (see Gum catalog
Gum catalog
The Gum catalog is an astronomical catalog of 84 emission nebulae in the southern sky. It was made by the Australian astronomer Colin Stanley Gum at Mount Stromlo Observatory using wide field photography. Gum published his findings in 1955 in a study entitled A study of diffuse southern H-alpha...
)
Sources
- Gum Catalog
- Gum Nebula (erroneously calls Gum 12 Gum 56)
- SouthernSkyPhoto.com
- The emission nebula IC 4628. Anglo-Australian ObservatoryAnglo-Australian ObservatoryThe Australian Astronomical Observatory , formerly the Anglo-Australian Observatory, is an optical/near-infrared astronomy observatory with its headquarters in suburban Sydney, Australia...