NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured two festive-looking nebulas that appear to be one. They live in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy that is a satellite of our Milky Way galaxy. Intense radiation from the brilliant central stars heats the hydrogen in each of the nebulas, causing them to glow red.
The nebulae are referred to collectively as NGC 248. The astronomer Sir John Herschel discovered them in 1834. NGC 248 is about 60 light-years long and 20 light-years wide. It is one of several glowing hydrogen nebulas in the dwarf satellite galaxy, which is about 200,000 light-years away in the southern constellation Tucana.
NGC 248 is an emission nebula in the constellation Tucana. It is located in the Small Magellanic Cloud. It was discovered in 1834 by astronomer John Frederick William Herschel. NGC 248 is about 60 light-years long and 20 light-years wide.
It is also known as the “Small Magellanic Cloud Supernova Remnant.” The Small Magellanic Cloud is a dwarf galaxy about 200,000 light-years away from Earth, and NGC 248 is one of its most notable features.
NGC 248 is the remnant of a supernova explosion that occurred around 300 years ago. Astronomers first observed the explosion in the early 18th century, and the resulting nebula has piqued their interest ever since. As a supernova remnant, NGC 248 consists of the expanding debris from the explosion, which includes ionized gas and dust.
The nebula emits light primarily in the red region of the electromagnetic spectrum, as is typical of ionized hydrogen gas (HII regions). When high-energy radiation, such as that produced by a supernova explosion, interacts with the surrounding interstellar medium, ionization occurs.
NGC 248 is a relatively compact and bright nebula that intrigues both amateur and professional astronomers. It serves as a research facility for the study of stellar evolution, supernovae, and the interactions between blast waves and the interstellar medium. NGC 248 observations provide important information about the life cycle of stars and the effects of their explosions on the surrounding cosmic environment.
