... NGC 6369: A Donut Shaped Nebula . ... Credit: H. Bond ( STSci ), R. Ciardullo ( PSU ), WFPC2 , HST , NASA Explanation: Why isn't the star in the center of the nebula? NGC 6369 appears to be a fairly ordinary planetary nebula . ... The gas expelled by the central star is bunched in the shape of a donut or cylinder. ... A closer look at NGC 6369 indicates that the central star is closer to a dimmer edge of the nebula than to the opposing brighter edge. ... Publications with keywords: nebula . ...