1° Forum di Astronomia Amatoriale Italiano

The issue of how such a diverse range of nebular shapes can be produced is a controversial topic. It is believed that interactions between material moving away from the star at different speeds gives rise to most observed shapes.[32] However, some astronomers believe that double central stars must be responsible for the more complex and extreme planetary nebulae.[39] Several planetary nebulae have been shown to contain strong magnetic fields, something which has been hypothesized by Grigor Gurzadyan in the 1960s.[40] Magnetic interactions with ionized gas could be responsible for shaping some planetary nebulae.[35]