Unveiling the Secrets of a Dying Star: Astronomers Analyze 'Jewel Bug Nebula'

Astronomers using the new IGRINS-2 spectrograph on the Gemini North Telescope have obtained the first spectrum of the Jewel Bug Nebula, a planetary nebula located 3,000 light years away. The spectrograph operates at near-infrared wavelengths, allowing it to penetrate cosmic dust and reveal details of the expanding cloud of gas and dust ejected by a dying star. IGRINS-2 identified elements such as bromine, helium, iron, krypton, and selenium, as well as molecular hydrogen. The instrument will be used to study star-birth, star-death, exoplanets, brown dwarfs, and distant galaxies.