Astronomers studying the famous Ring Nebula have identified a striking and unexpected feature a massive, bar-shaped cloud made entirely of iron atoms, and its origin remains unclear.
The Ring Nebula, located in the constellation Lyra, is one of the most recognisable planetary nebulae in the night sky. Formed from the remnants of a dying sun-like star, the nebula appears as a glowing, multi-coloured ring of gas. Now, new observations reveal that its interior hides a structure never seen before.
Using Spain’s William Herschel Telescope, researchers detected the iron cloud with the help of an advanced optical spectrometer known as the WEAVE instrument. According to astronomers, the iron bar contains slightly more mass than the planet Mars and stretches across a vast region near the nebula’s centre.
“We were not looking for anything like this,” said Roger Wesson of Cardiff University, the study’s lead author. “But when we examined the data, this bar of ionised iron stood out clearly in the middle of the nebula.”
The discovery was reported in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, as detailed in research led by Wesson and his colleagues.
What makes the structure especially puzzling is its scale. Scientists estimate that the iron bar is as long as roughly 500 times the distance of Pluto’s orbit around the Sun. Its position and composition raise new questions about how the Ring Nebula evolved and how heavy elements such as iron are distributed during the final stages of a star’s life.
Researchers say the bar may offer fresh insight into the nebula’s formation history, but for now, its exact origin remains a mystery. Follow-up observations using the same telescope are planned to better understand how the structure formed and whether similar features exist elsewhere.
Despite the surprise, astronomers do not believe the Ring Nebula’s iron bar is unique. “It would be very surprising if this were the only example,” Wesson noted. “As we observe more nebulae formed in similar ways, we expect to find more of these iron structures, which should help us understand where the iron comes from.”
This article is based on reporting by Jackie Flynn Mogensen and published findings from the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
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