Portal:Astronomy/Picture/10 August 2005

The Ant planetary nebula (Mz3) is shown here ejecting gas from the dying center star, which displays symmetrical patterns unlike the chaotic patterns of ordinary explosions. This is explained by either the gravitational pull of another object, or winding of the expelled matter and magnetic fields. Mz3 is often referred to as the Ant Nebula because it resembles the head and thorax of a garden-variety ant.