Shrimp Nebula's Rapid Transit Through Space

• Sh2-188, also known as the Shrimp Nebula, is a large planetary nebula with an angular size nearly half that of the Moon.
• Its central white-dwarf star—the remains of a Sun-like star—moves at high speeds through interstellar space.
• The star's rapid movement creates a prominent bow shock on the nebula's leading edge, similar to a boat cutting through water.

Scientific Observations

• The motion of the central star causes the compression and heating of gas on the nebula's leading edge, which produces a faint glow.
• The featured photograph was captured using a backyard telescope in Krakow, Poland, by Pawel Piechnik.
• The image was recorded in the light of hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen, then digitally processed to approximate true colors.