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Ant Nebula

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Title: Ant Nebula

From ground-based telescopes, the so-called "ant nebula" (Menzel 3, or Mz 3) resembles the head and thorax of a garden ant. But this photo reveals the "ant's" body as a pair of fiery lobes protruding from a dying, Sun-like star. The Hubble images directly challenge old ideas about the last stages in the lives of stars. Our Sun's fate will probably will be more interesting, complex, and striking than astronomers imagined just a few years ago.

Credit: NASA, ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STSci/AURA)

This product was added to our catalog on Wednesday 02 April, 2003.