Located roughly 1,100 light-years away in the constellation Serpens, Sh2-68—dramatically nicknamed the Flaming Skull Nebula—is an ancient, low-surface-brightness planetary nebula estimated to be at least 45,000 years old.
What makes this target particularly fascinating is its strong interaction with the surrounding interstellar medium. As its high-proper-motion central white dwarf star travels through space, the expanding shell of ionized gas is stripped back, trailing an extended, cometary-like tail of hydrogen emission behind a glowing, blue oxygen-rich core.
Located roughly 1,100 light-years away in the constellation Serpens, Sh2-68—dramatically nicknamed the Flaming Skull Nebula—is an ancient, low-surface-brightness planetary nebula estimated to be at least 45,000 years old.
What makes this target particularly fascinating is its strong interaction with the surrounding interstellar medium. As its high-proper-motion central white dwarf star travels through space, the expanding shell of ionized gas is stripped back, trailing an extended, cometary-like tail of hydrogen emission behind a glowing, blue oxygen-rich core.