Deep imaging reveals curved bow shocks around a dying Sun-like star in the Helix Nebula, indicating ejected material mixes into interstellar space over 10,000 years.
Deep imaging of ionized gas in the Helix Nebula uncovers many curved shock waves around a dying Sun-like star. These ‘bow shocks’ are produced when ejected shells of stellar material break up and race outwards. Their changing shapes imply that the shell fragments are being stripped, shredded and mixed into interstellar gas over roughly 10,000 years. High-resolution imaging reveals curved shock waves in the Helix Nebula.
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