* Astronomy

Hubble pictures planetary nebula PK 329-02.2 with spiral arms

The two spiral arms winding towards the bright centre might deceive you into thinking you are looking at a galaxy a bit like our Milky Way. But the object starring in this image is of a different nature: PK 329-02.2 is a 'planetary nebula' within our home galaxy.
This planetary nebula with spiral arms is also known as Menzel 2, after the US astronomer Donald Menzel who discovered it in the 1920s. It is located in Norma, a constellation in the Southern celestial hemisphere where you can also find Menzel 1 and 3, two 'bipolar planetary nebulas' (shaped like butterflies or hourglasses).
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