How did a star form this beautiful nebula? In the middle of emission nebula NGC 6164 is an unusually massive star . The central star has been compared to an oyster's pearl and an egg protected by the mythical sky dragons of Ara . The star, visible in the center of the featured image and catalogued as HD 148937 , is so hot that the ultraviolet light it emits heats up gas that surrounds it. That gas was likely thrown off from the star previously, possibly the result of a gravitational interaction with a looping stellar companion. Expelled material might have been channeled by the magnetic field of the massive star, in all creating the symmetric shape of the bipolar nebula . NGC 6164 spans about four light years and is located about 3,600 light years away toward the southern constellation Norma .
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Media Credits & Attribution
Image Credit & Copyright: Rowan Prangley