More Images of NGC 5315
1
Chandra X-ray Image of NGC 5315
NGC 5315, a planetary nebula that lies in the southern constellation
Circinus, has a Wolf-Rayet-type central star. There are only about 50
Wolf-Rayet-star planetary nebulas known in the entire sky.
Wolf-Rayet-type stars are a special class of hot, hydrogen-deficient
stars that display particularly massive and energetic stellar winds.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/RIT/J. Kastner et al.
)
2
Hubble Optical Image of NGC 5315
Planetary nebula NGC 5315 reveals an x-shaped structure in optical
light. This shape suggests that the star ejected material in two
different outbursts in two distinct directions. Each outburst unleashed
a pair of diametrically opposed outflows. The image was taken with
Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 in February 2007.
(Credit: NASA/ESA/STScI/AURA/The Hubble Heritage Team
)
Return to NGC 5315 (September 27, 2007)