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Twin tantrum

Kfir Simon, taken from Tivoli Farm, Namibia

Most planetary nebulae have at their centers a white dwarf that has shed its outer layers. But Sh 2–71’s central white dwarf is in a binary system with a companion, from which it is stealing material that can explode from its surface. This interaction is likely what has created the nebula’s chaotic appearance. The object lies roughly 5,200 light-years away in Aquila.