Free Astronomy Magazine September-October 2023

41 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2023 and become a red giant much faster than the Sun. As HR 3126 swelled, its atmosphere expanded and it began to shed its outer layers. The expelled stellar material flowed out into the surrounding area, forming a mag- nificent structure of gas and dust that reflects the light from the cen- tral star. Detailed studies of the Toby Jug Nebula in infrared light have re- vealed that silicon dioxide (silica) is the most likely compound reflecting HR3126’s light. Astronomers theo- rize that bipolar structures similar to those seen in the Toby Jug Nebula are the result of interactions be- tween the central red giant and a bi- nary companion star. Previous obser- vations, however, found no such companion to HR3126. Instead, as- tronomers observed an extremely compact disk of material around the central star. This finding suggests that a former binary companion was possibly shredded into the disk, which may have triggered the for- mation of the surrounding nebula. In about five billion years from now, when our Sun has burned through its supply of hydrogen, it too will be- come a red giant and eventually evolve into a planetary nebula. In the very distant future, all that will be left of our Solar System will be a nebula as vibrant as the Toby Jug Nebula with the slowly cooling Sun at its heart. The image was processed by NOIR- Lab’s Communication, Education & Engagement team as part of the NOIRLab Legacy Imaging Program. The observations were made with Gemini South on Cerro Pachón in Chile using one of the dual Gemini Multi-Object Spectrographs (GMOS). Though spectrographs are designed to split light into various wave- lengths for study, the GMOS spec- trographs also have powerful imag- ing capabilities, as demonstrated by this exceptional view of the Toby Jug Nebula. A billowing pair of nearly symmetrical loops of dust and gas mark the death throes of an ancient red-giant star, as captured by Gemini South, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab. The result- ing structure, said to resemble an old style of English jug, is a rarely seen bipolar reflection nebula. Evidence suggests that this object formed by the interactions between the dying red giant and a now-shredded companion star. The image was obtained by NOIRLab’s Communication, Education & Engagement team as part of the NOIRLab Legacy Imaging Program. [T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Ro- driguez (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab)] perature and causes the star to then swell up to 400 times its original size. Though HR3126 is considerably younger than our Sun — a mere 50 million years old compared to the Sun’s 4.6 billion years — it is five times the mass. This allowed the star to burn through its hydrogen supply !