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PLANETARY NEBULA 1: THE CATS EYE

Planetary Nebula: The Cats Eye 404x333 11K
Three thousand light years away, a dying star casts off shells of glowing gas. This Hubble Space Telescope image reveals the Cats Eye Nebula to be one of the most complex planetary nebulae known. Although these objects may appear round and planet-like in small telescopes, they are in fact stars surrounded by spheres of gas blown off as the star dies.

Photo Credit: NASA, Hubble Space Telescope