- Gomez's Hamburger is a Sun-like star nearing the end of its life cycle
- The object is located 6,500 light-years away in the Sagittarius constellation
- Its appearance is caused by light reflecting off dust and a dark dust band
A striking image captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is drawing attention for its unusual resemblance to a giant hamburger. The object, known as Gomez's Hamburger, is not a galaxy or a planet but a Sun-like star nearing the final stages of its life, reported NASA.
Located about 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius, Gomez's Hamburger has already expelled large amounts of gas and dust and is gradually evolving into a colourful planetary nebula.
Why It Looks Like A Hamburger
The unusual appearance of Gomez's Hamburger is created by a combination of dust and light. The bright upper and lower portions resemble hamburger buns and are formed by light reflecting off dust. The dark band across the middle resembles a patty and is made up of dense dust.
The image was taken using Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. It revealed the structure of the object in high detail, particularly the prominent dark band that stretches across its center.
Scientists say the dark band is actually the shadow of a thick disk of material surrounding the central star. This disk is viewed edge-on from Earth. The star itself remains hidden within the disk.
Although the star cannot be seen directly, its light escapes in directions above and below the disk, illuminating the surrounding dust and creating the bright appearance visible in the image.
Astronomers are still uncertain why the star is surrounded by such a thick, dusty disk. One possibility is that the central object may actually consist of two stars.
If this is the case, the star that expelled the surrounding material may have been rotating rapidly, causing it to eject most of its material from its equatorial regions.
