APOD 1.4

The image below is a processed image of the planetary nebula M2-9, located an astounding 2,100 light years away from Earth. This shows the end of a low-mass star and its transition into a white dwarf star. During this point in its lifetime, the star is labeled as a planetary nebula; however, much is left unknown as to the processes of that cause this transition. Once the star's core ceases to undergo nuclear fusion, the outer layer of the star expands and quickly loses mass as the gases are swept away by stellar winds. However, before the outer gaseous layers are completely gone, they form the signature wings of a butterfly nebula (pictured below). This future white dwarf star, like other white dwarf stars, will eventually fade away over the course of thousands of years. Inside this planetary nebula, there is a pair of binary stars orbiting around each other on a gas disk.