The Cat's Eye Nebula
Explanation:
Three thousand light years away, a dying star throws off shells of glowing
gas.
This image from the
Hubble Space Telescope
reveals "The Cat's Eye Nebula" to be
one of the most complex
planetary nebulae
known. In fact, the features seen in
this image
are so complex that astronomers suspect the bright
central object may actually be a
binary star system. The term
planetary
nebula, used to describe this general class of objects, is misleading.
Although these objects may appear round and planet-like in small
telescopes,
high resolution
images reveal them to be stars surrounded by
cocoons of gas blown off in the
late
stages of stellar evolution.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
