MUSE is installed on one of four Unit Telescopes that make up the Very Large Telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. It’s an impressive piece of technology, and most of its power stems from the fact that MUSE not only creates a two-dimensional image of a target, but also gathers spectral data for each point in the image.

With this spectral information, the researchers can then filter the image by color, revealing information about the complex morphology of the object and its chemical composition. In the case of the Saturn Nebula, the team found a plethora of intricate structures, including a thin elliptical inner shell, a football-shaped outer shell, a spherical halo, and two well-known ansae — the Latin term for handles.

Most intriguingly, the researchers also found evidence of a mysterious wave-like structure within the dust of the Saturn Nebula. They found that just outside the rim of the inner shell, there is a notable drop in the amount of material, indicating it may be getting destroyed. Although the researchers are not sure what mechanism is destroying the dust and gas, the leading theory is that the inner shell is essentially a giant, expanding shock wave that is obliterating the dust as it travels outward.

Planetary nebulae are associated with low-mass, Sun-like stars. After spending billions of years converting hydrogen to helium in its core, a low-mass star will begin burning hydrogen in a shell around its core. When this happens, the temperature of the star drops significantly (giving it a red tint), and it balloons up to dozens of times its original size (making it a giant).