---
title: "APOD: 02/16/13 – Turtle Nebula"
description: "[caption id=\"attachment_1067\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"] Image Credit: Robert Rubin and Christopher Ortiz (NASA/ESA Ames Research Center), Patrick Harrington and Nancy Jo Lame (University of Maryland), Reginald Dufour (Rice University), and NASA/ESA[/caption] In this image, captured by Hubble Telescope's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2, a strange planetary nebulae can be seen glowing in optical light. The nebula,..."
date: "2013-02-16"
modified: "2013-02-16"
authors:
  - name: "Jaime Trosper"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jaimefqtq"
url: "https://futurism.com/apod-021613-turtle-nebula"
categories:
  - "From Quarks to Quasars"
---

# APOD: 02/16/13 – Turtle Nebula

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/164463_421902027896212_523977950_n.jpg>)

[![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/164463_421902027896212_523977950_n-300x300.jpg>)](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/164463_421902027896212_523977950_n.jpg>)
*Image Credit: Robert Rubin and Christopher Ortiz (NASA/ESA Ames Research Center), Patrick Harrington and Nancy Jo Lame (University of Maryland), Reginald Dufour (Rice University), and NASA/ESA*

In this image, captured by Hubble Telescope's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2, a strange planetary nebulae can be seen glowing in optical light.

The nebula, formally known as NGC 6210 (or simply as the Turtle nebula if you prefer), lies some 6,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Hercules. As is true of other sun-like stars, the outer layer of the gaseous envelope is shed after the remainder of the hydrogen and helium fuel is consumed. This shedding forms a billowy planetary nebula. Many of these form all sorts of different shapes, such as an hourglass, a human eye, butterflies, stingrays, and even a cat's eye. Now we can add another to our list, as this one slightly resembles a turtle swallowing a seashell (to some people...depending on who you ask).

If you look closely, in the inner region of NGC 6210, you can see the central star. This star is now a hot, bright, dense remnant about the size of the Earth, called a white-dwarf. Surrounding this star is a blueish bubble sculpted by gas emissions that the dying star released in its final throes of life.

# For Further Reading:

"The Turtle Nebula:"
[http://www-space.arc.nasa.gov/\~rubin/research/turtle.html](<http://www-space.arc.nasa.gov/~rubin/research/turtle.html>)

"An odd planetary nebula in Hercules:"
[http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw1026a/](<http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spacetelescope.org%2Fimages%2Fpotw1026a%2F&h=wAQFDAnRP&s=1>)

Image Credit: Robert Rubin and Christopher Ortiz (NASA/ESA Ames Research Center), Patrick Harrington and Nancy Jo Lame (University of Maryland), Reginald Dufour (Rice University), and NASA/ESA

## Author
Jaime is a freelance writer, who finds great joy in sharing the wonders of universe with others. She used this passion to launch "From Quarks to Quasars" in 2012.