Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Canis Major (CMa)  ·  Contains:  16 omi01 CMa  ·  LBN 1052  ·  Sh2-308  ·  The star ο1CMa
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Sh2-308 - Dolphin Head Nebula, Paul Ricker
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Sh2-308 - Dolphin Head Nebula

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Sh2-308 - Dolphin Head Nebula, Paul Ricker
Powered byPixInsight

Sh2-308 - Dolphin Head Nebula

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Description

Sharpless 308 is an emission nebula being produced by the Wolf-Rayet star EZ Canis Majoris, which is about 1.5 kpc away. EZ CMa is the bright bluish star near the center of the nebula. Wolf-Rayet stars are hot, luminous, massive stars that have lost most or all of their hydrogen envelopes (e.g. through mass transfer to a companion), exposing as surface layers regions that are enhanced in helium or metals (nitrogen, carbon, or oxygen) due to nuclear reactions (they are typically post-main-sequence stars). These helium/metal-enriched layers are more opaque and so can be more effectively pushed on by the star's radiation field, driving substantial winds that can produce nebulae like the Dolphin Head.

Image produced from exposures taken at the Casitas de Gila guest houses in SW New Mexico.

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Sh2-308 - Dolphin Head Nebula, Paul Ricker