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Elements in the Eskimo Nebula

The Eskimo Nebula is located in the constellation Gemini at a distance of 2,870 light years from Earth, and consists of a magnificent display of stellar material ejecting from two elliptically shaped lobes. It is the remnant of a dying star, and will only last a few tens of thousands of years -- a minuscule duration on the celestial time scale. Discovered in 1787 by astronomer William Herschel, the Eskimo Nebula is visible with a small telescope.

Nitrogen
- Spectroscopy and reflectance curves have allowed astronomers to detect four primary elements in the Eskimo Nebula. The outer rim of filaments consists primarily of nitrogen. These filaments are roughly one light year in length, on average, and about half a light year in width. As of this writing, the origin of the slowly expanding outer rim of nitrogen is not well understood.
Hydrogen
- The inner area of filaments consists primarily of hydrogen. These filaments are ejected from the star's remaining core by a stellar wind of charged particles. The nebula's name derives from the fact that these hydrogen clouds superficially resemble a head within a large "hood" made of expanding nitrogen gas. The "face" is the result of two elliptical lobes that are streaming material in opposite directions.
Oxygen
- The central core of the star consists primarily of oxygen. All the material pushed outward by stellar winds radiates from this central core. This process has been underway for approximately 10,000 years, before which the outer rim comprised the layers of a sunlike star.
Helium
- Spectroscopy also reveals that the central core contains some helium. This core is visible to the naked eye on clear nights when Gemini is above the horizon. The helium and hydrogen in dying stars are particularly significant to scientists because they form nitrogen and carbon, which are the building blocks of life on Earth.

Astronomy