What chemical signature characterizes the material ejected in a Planetary Nebula?
Heavier elements like Carbon and Oxygen synthesized during the star's life.
Planetary nebulae represent a specific stage in the stellar life cycle, being composed of the outer layers of gas ejected by dying low-to-intermediate mass stars, similar to the future fate of our Sun. Because these stars have spent billions of years undergoing nuclear fusion in their cores, they have enriched their outer envelopes with products of that fusion process. Consequently, the material expelled into the interstellar medium in a planetary nebula is chemically distinct from the pristine material in a stellar nursery. Specifically, these nebulae are rich in elements like carbon and oxygen that were synthesized internally during the star's long life before ejection.
