Maunakea telescope captures dying star 1,500 years ago

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – An image released Thursday provides a glowing glimpse into a star’s final stages of life, scientists said. It was captured by the Gemini North telescope atop Maunakea on Hawaii Island.

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NGC 1514, nicknamed the Crystal Ball Nebula, is located in the constellation Taurus, roughly 1,500 light years from Earth. Its nickname comes from its milky, spherical form, which resembles a crystal ball.

The nebula contained two orbiting stars, one of which was once several times more massive than the sun.

As it died, scientists from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab said it released a spherical cloud of gas that was molded into an asymmetric “lumpy” shape by orbiting winds.

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With the star’s inner core exposed, the intense heat scorched the gas, creating a bright glow.

Scientists said the light captured in the image left its source around 1,500 years ago and traveled across the universe before reaching Gemini North.

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