NGC 6164/6165 — The Dragon’s Egg Nebula
Date image was taken: November 01, 2025
Location: Rio Hurtado, Chile
Copyright: Daniel Stern
NGC 6164/6165 — The Dragon’s Egg Nebula
About 3,800 light-years away in Norma, NGC 6164/6165 surrounds the massive star system HD 148937. Though once classified as a planetary nebula, it is actually a bipolar emission nebula created by massive stars.
A 2024 study suggests two stars in the system collided and merged about 7,500 years ago, ejecting the material that formed the nebula and producing a strongly magnetic star. The event offers rare evidence of how stellar mergers can create both nebulae and magnetic massive stars.
April 25, 2025
Rio Hurtado, Chile
RGB Ha Olll
85 hours integration
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AAPOD2 Title: NGC 6164/6165 — The Dragon’s Egg Nebula
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