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Credit & Copyright: R. Corradi (Isaac Newton Group),
Nordic Optical Telescope
Explanation:
The Cat's Eye Nebula
(NGC 6543) is one of the best known planetary
nebulae in the sky.
Its haunting symmetries are seen
in the very central region of
this stunning false-color picture, processed to reveal the
enormous but extremely faint halo of gaseous material, over three
light-years across, which surrounds the brighter,
familiar
planetary nebula.
Made with data from the
Nordic Optical Telescope in the
Canary Islands,
the composite picture shows extended emission from the nebula.
Planetary
nebulae have long been appreciated as a final phase
in the life of a Sun-like star.
Only much more recently however, have some planetaries been
found to have halos
like this one, likely formed of material shrugged off during
earlier active episodes in the
star's evolution.
While the planetary nebula phase is
thought to last for around 10,000 years,
astronomers estimate the age of the
outer filamentary portions
of this halo to be 50,000 to 90,000 years.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Cat's Eye Nebula - planetary nebula
Publications with words: Cat's Eye Nebula - planetary nebula
See also:
- APOD: 2024 February 12 Á HFG1 & Abell 6: Planetary Nebulae
- APOD: 2024 January 7 Á The Cats Eye Nebula in Optical and X-ray
- APOD: 2023 December 24 Á NGC 2440: Cocoon of a New White Dwarf
- APOD: 2023 October 3 Á MyCn 18: The Engraved Hourglass Planetary Nebula
- NGC 1360: The Robin's Egg Nebula
- Cat s Eye Wide and Deep
- APOD: 2023 April 16 Á M2 9: Wings of a Butterfly Nebula