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Boomerang nebula - Definition |
| Related Words: Backlash, Bola, Bolt, Bounce, Bound, Cannon, Carom, Counter, Exchange, Interchange, Kick |
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The Boomerang Nebula (also called the Bowtie Nebula) is a nebula located 5,000 light-years away from Earth in the Centaurus constellation. The nebula is at 1 kelvin; the coldest place known outside a laboratory. The Boomerang Nebula is formed from the outflow of gas from a star at its core. The gas is moving outwards at a speed of about 600,000 km/h and expanding rapidly as it moves out into space. This expansion is the cause of the nebula's very low temperature.
The Boomerang Nebula was photographed in detail by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1998. It is believed that the nebula is a star or stellar system evolving toward the planetary nebula phase.
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