Perfect Spiral Around Nebula Is Sexy Symmetry

That sexy spiral in the cosmos is hiding behind it a nascent star. While I can’t do math, and I don’t know the powers of gravity, I can’t help but marvel at the sexosity of the universe and nature. Yeah I know, totally played out common trope here at Omega Level. Alas, alack. What can you do? Let’s kick it over to io9 for an explanation of what we’re looking at.

Hubble via io9:

The striking picture shows what appears to be a thin spiral pattern of astonishingly regularity winding around the star, which is itself hidden behind thick dust. The spiral pattern suggests a regular periodic origin for the nebula’s shape. The material forming the spiral is moving outwards a speed of about 50,000 km/hour and, by combining this speed with the distance between layers, astronomers calculate that the shells are each separated by about 800 years.

The spiral is thought to arise because LL Pegasi is a binary system, with the star that is losing material and a companion star orbiting each other. The spacing between layers in the spiral is expected to directly reflect the orbital period of the binary, which is indeed estimated to be also about 800 years.

Gorgeous. While my fat brain can’t process the specifics, I know enough to appreciate this symmetry. The fabric of the universe is weaved with spaceporn.