Team finds source of starry showpieces

Nasa Photo

he cosmic "paintbrush" that creates some of the most dazzling images in the night sky--the wispy clouds of light known as planetary nebulae--may have been found by University researchers.

In a paper published in the January 25 issue of Nature, University astrophysicists John Thomas, Andrew Markiel, Hugh Van Horn, Adam Frank, and Eric Blackman suggest that a magnetic dynamo--similar to the kind that produces storms on the sun--appears to shape planetary nebulae.

Using data that indicates that the core of dying stars decouples from the outer shell, the researchers found that magnetic fields power up and twist as the two spin at different rates. As matter is blown off the dying star, it roughly follows bent magnetic lines, creating the majestic curves and contours of a planetary nebula.

"Astronomers have been puzzling over these objects for centuries," says Frank, associate professor of physics and astronomy. "They're these vast cosmic sculptures and we've never known how they're made."

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