Astronomy Picture of the Day |
APOD: 2024 January 7 – The Cats Eye Nebula in Optical and X-ray
Explanation:
To some it looks like a cat's eye.
To others, perhaps like a giant cosmic
conch
shell.
It is actually one of the brightest and most highly detailed
planetary nebula known,
composed of gas expelled in the brief yet
glorious phase near the end of life of a Sun-like star.
This nebula's dying central star may have produced the outer circular
concentric shells
by shrugging off
outer
layers in a series of regular convulsions.
The
formation of the beautiful, complex-yet-symmetric
inner structures,
however, is not well understood.
The
featured image is a composite of a digitally sharpened
Hubble Space Telescope image with
X-ray light
captured by the orbiting
Chandra Observatory.
The exquisite floating space statue spans over half a
light-year across.
Of course,
gazing into this Cat's Eye,
humanity may well be seeing
the fate of our sun, destined to enter its own
planetary nebula
phase of evolution ... in
about 5 billion years.
APOD: 2023 May 25 - Cat's Eye Wide and Deep
Explanation:
The Cat's
Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is one of the best known
planetary nebulae in the sky.
Its more
familiar outlines are seen in the brighter
central region of
the nebula in this impressive wide-angle view.
But this wide and deep image combining
data from two telescopes also reveals
its extremely faint outer halo.
At an estimated distance of 3,000 light-years, the
faint outer halo is over 5 light-years across.
Planetary nebulae have long been appreciated as a final phase
in the life of a sun-like star.
More recently, some planetary nebulae are found to
have halos like
this one, likely formed of material shrugged off during
earlier 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.
Visible on the right, some 50 million light-years beyond
the watchful planetary nebula, lies spiral galaxy NGC 6552.
APOD: 2022 August 3 - Halo of the Cat's Eye
Explanation:
What created the unusual halo around the Cat's Eye nebula?
No one is sure.
What is sure is that
the Cat's Eye Nebula
(NGC 6543) is one of the best known
planetary nebulae on the sky.
Although haunting symmetries are seen
in the bright central region,
this image was taken to feature its intricately structured outer halo,
which spans over three
light-years across.
Planetary
nebulae have long been appreciated as a final phase
in the life of a Sun-like star.
Only recently however, have some planetaries been
found to have expansive halos,
likely formed from material shrugged off during earlier
puzzling 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 the
Cat's Eye Nebula's halo to be 50,000 to 90,000 years.
APOD: 2022 July 10 - In the Center of 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 (NGC 6543), to be one of the most complex
planetary nebulae known.
Spanning half a
light-year,
the features seen in the
Cat's Eye
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 with large telescopes reveal them to be
stars surrounded by
cocoons of gas blown off in the late stages of
stellar evolution.
Gazing into this Cat's Eye,
astronomers may well be seeing more than detailed structure,
they may be seeing the fate of our Sun, destined to enter its own
planetary nebula phase of evolution ... in about
5 billion years.
APOD: 2022 May 11 - Gravity's Grin
Explanation:
Albert
Einstein's
general theory of relativity, published over 100 years
ago, predicted the phenomenon of gravitational lensing.
And that's what gives these distant galaxies such a whimsical
appearance,
seen
through the looking glass of X-ray and optical
image data from the Chandra and Hubble space telescopes.
Nicknamed the Cheshire Cat galaxy group, the group's two
large elliptical galaxies are suggestively framed by arcs.
The arcs are optical images
of distant background galaxies
lensed by the foreground group's total distribution
of gravitational mass.
Of course, that gravitational mass is dominated
by dark matter.
The two large elliptical "eye" galaxies represent
the brightest members of their own galaxy groups which are merging.
Their relative collisional speed of nearly 1,350 kilometers/second
heats gas to millions of degrees producing the X-ray glow shown
in purple hues.
Curiouser about
galaxy group mergers?
The Cheshire Cat
group
grins
in the constellation Ursa Major, some 4.6 billion light-years away.
APOD: 2021 November 7 - The Cats Eye Nebula in Optical and X-ray
Explanation:
To some it looks like a cat's eye.
To others, perhaps like a giant cosmic
conch shell.
It is actually one of brightest and most highly detailed
planetary nebula known,
composed of gas expelled in the brief yet
glorious phase near the end of life of a Sun-like star.
This nebula's dying central star may have produced the outer circular
concentric shells
by shrugging off
outer
layers in a series of regular convulsions.
The
formation of the beautiful, complex-yet-symmetric
inner structures,
however, is not well understood.
The
featured image is a composite of a digitally sharpened
Hubble Space Telescope image with
X-ray light
captured by the orbiting
Chandra Observatory.
The exquisite floating space statue spans over half a
light-year across.
Of course,
gazing into this Cat's Eye,
humanity may well be seeing
the fate of our sun, destined to enter its own
planetary nebula
phase of evolution ... in about 5 billion years.
APOD: 2020 June 7 - Halo of the Cat's Eye
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.
APOD: 2019 October 26 - Gravity s Grin
Explanation:
Albert
Einstein's
general theory of relativity, published over 100 years
ago, predicted the phenomenon of gravitational lensing.
And that's what gives these distant galaxies such a whimsical
appearance,
seen
through the looking glass of X-ray and optical
image data from the Chandra and Hubble space telescopes.
Nicknamed the Cheshire Cat galaxy group, the group's two
large elliptical galaxies are suggestively framed by arcs.
The arcs are optical images
of distant background galaxies
lensed by the foreground group's total distribution
of gravitational mass.
Of course, that gravitational mass is dominated
by dark matter.
The two large elliptical "eye" galaxies represent
the brightest members of their own galaxy groups which are merging.
Their relative collisional speed of nearly 1,350 kilometers/second
heats gas to millions of degrees producing the X-ray glow shown
in purple hues.
Curiouser about
galaxy group mergers?
The Cheshire Cat
group
grins
in the constellation Ursa Major, some 4.6 billion light-years away.
APOD: 2019 May 1 - The Cat's Eye Nebula in Optical and X-ray
Explanation:
To some it looks like a cat's eye.
To others, perhaps like a giant cosmic
conch shell.
It is actually one of brightest and most highly detailed
planetary nebula known,
composed of gas expelled in the brief yet
glorious phase near the end of life of a Sun-like star.
This nebula's dying central star may have produced the outer circular
concentric shells
by shrugging off
outer
layers in a series of regular convulsions.
The
formation of the beautiful, complex-yet-symmetric inner structures,
however, is not well understood.
The
featured image is a composite of a digitally sharpened
Hubble Space Telescope image with
X-ray light
captured by the orbiting
Chandra Observatory.
The exquisite floating space statue spans over half a
light-year across.
Of course,
gazing into this Cat's Eye,
humanity may well be seeing
the fate of our sun, destined to enter its own
planetary nebula
phase of evolution ... in about 5 billion years.
APOD: 2018 October 20 - Halo of the Cat's Eye
Explanation:
Not a Falcon 9
rocket launch after sunset, 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
composited picture, processed to reveal an
enormous but extremely faint halo of gaseous material, over three
light-years across.
Made with data from ground- and space-based telescopes
it shows the extended emission which surrounds the brighter, familiar
planetary nebula.
Planetary nebulae have long been appreciated as a final phase
in
the life of a sun-like star.
But only more recently 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
outer filamentary
portions of this halo to be 50,000 to 90,000 years old.
APOD: 2018 June 10 - The Cat's Eye Nebula from Hubble
Explanation:
To some, it may look like a cat's eye.
The
alluring Cat's Eye
nebula, however, lies three thousand light-years from Earth across interstellar space.
A classic
planetary
nebula, the Cat's Eye (NGC 6543) represents a final, brief
yet
glorious phase in the life of a sun-like star.
This nebula's dying central star may have produced the simple,
outer pattern of dusty
concentric shells
by shrugging off
outer
layers in a series of regular convulsions.
But the formation of the beautiful, more complex
inner structures is not well understood.
Seen so clearly in
this digitally sharpened Hubble Space Telescope image,
the truly cosmic eye is over half a
light-year across.
Of course,
gazing into this Cat's Eye,
astronomers may well be seeing
the fate of our sun, destined to enter its own
planetary nebula
phase of evolution ... in about 5 billion years.
APOD: 2017 August 5 - Gravity's Grin
Explanation:
Albert
Einstein's
general theory of relativity, published over 100 years
ago, predicted the phenomenon of gravitational lensing.
And that's what gives these distant galaxies such a whimsical
appearance,
seen
through the looking glass of X-ray and optical
image data from the Chandra and Hubble space telescopes.
Nicknamed the Cheshire Cat galaxy group, the group's two
large elliptical galaxies are suggestively framed by arcs.
The arcs are optical images
of distant background galaxies
lensed by the foreground group's total distribution
of gravitational mass.
Of course, that gravitational mass is dominated
by dark matter.
The two large elliptical "eye" galaxies represent
the brightest members of their own galaxy groups which are merging.
Their relative collisional speed of nearly 1,350 kilometers/second
heats gas to millions of degrees producing the X-ray glow shown
in purple hues.
Curiouser about
galaxy group mergers?
The Cheshire Cat
group grins
in the constellation Ursa Major, some 4.6 billion light-years away.
APOD: 2017 January 30 - The Cat's Eye Nebula from Hubble
Explanation:
To some, it may look like a cat's eye.
The
alluring Cat's Eye
nebula, however, lies three thousand light-years from Earth across interstellar space.
A classic
planetary
nebula, the Cat's Eye (NGC 6543) represents a final, brief
yet
glorious phase in the life of a sun-like star.
This nebula's dying central star may have produced the simple,
outer pattern of dusty
concentric shells
by shrugging off
outer
layers in a series of regular convulsions.
But the formation of the beautiful, more complex
inner structures is not well understood.
Seen so clearly in
this digitally reprocessed Hubble Space Telescope image,
the truly
cosmic eye
is over half a light-year across.
Of course,
gazing into this Cat's Eye,
astronomers may well be seeing
the fate of our sun, destined to enter its own
planetary nebula
phase of evolution ... in about
5 billion years.
APOD: 2016 July 3 - 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 the
Cat's Eye
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.
APOD: 2016 May 28 - Cat's Eye Wide and Deep
Explanation:
The Cat's
Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is one of the best known
planetary nebulae in the sky.
Its more
familiar outlines are seen in the brighter central region of
the nebula in this impressive wide-angle view.
But the composite image combines many
short and long exposures to also reveal an extremely faint outer halo.
At an estimated distance of 3,000 light-years, the
faint outer halo is over 5 light-years across.
Planetary nebulae have long been appreciated as a final phase
in the life of a sun-like star.
More recently, some planetary nebulae are found to
have halos like
this one, likely formed of material shrugged off during
earlier 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.
Visible on the left, some 50 million light-years beyond
the watchful planetary nebula, lies spiral galaxy NGC 6552.
APOD: 2015 November 27 - Gravity's Grin
Explanation:
Albert Einstein's
general theory of relativity, published 100 years
ago this month, predicted the phenomenon of gravitational lensing.
And that's what gives these distant galaxies such a whimsical appearance,
seen
through the looking glass of X-ray and optical
image data from the Chandra and Hubble space telescopes.
Nicknamed the Cheshire Cat galaxy group, the group's two
large elliptical galaxies are suggestively framed by arcs.
The arcs are optical images
of distant background galaxies
lensed by the foreground group's total distribution
of gravitational mass dominated by dark matter.
In fact the two large elliptical "eye" galaxies represent
the brightest members of their own galaxy groups which are merging.
Their relative collisional speed of nearly 1,350 kilometers/second
heats gas to millions of degrees producing the X-ray glow shown
in purple hues.
Curiouser about
galaxy group mergers?
The Cheshire Cat
group grins
in the constellation Ursa Major, some 4.6 billion light-years away.
APOD: 2014 November 9 - The Cat's Eye Nebula from Hubble
Explanation:
To some, it may look like a cat's eye.
The
alluring Cat's Eye
nebula, however, lies three thousand light-years from Earth across interstellar space.
A classic
planetary
nebula, the Cat's Eye (NGC 6543) represents a final, brief
yet
glorious phase in the life of a sun-like star.
This nebula's dying central star may have produced the simple,
outer pattern of dusty
concentric shells
by shrugging off
outer
layers in a series of regular convulsions.
But the formation of the beautiful, more complex
inner structures is not well understood.
Seen so clearly in
this digitally sharpened Hubble Space Telescope image,
the truly cosmic eye is over half a light-year across.
Of course,
gazing into this Cat's Eye,
astronomers may well be seeing
the fate of our sun, destined to enter its own
planetary nebula
phase of evolution ... in about
5 billion years.
APOD: 2014 June 1 - Halo of the Cat's Eye
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.
APOD: 2012 August 31 - Halo of the Cat's Eye
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 tantalizing image, processed to reveal the
enormous but extremely faint halo of gaseous material,
about 6 light-years across, which surrounds the brighter,
familiar planetary nebula.
Made with narrow and broadband data
the composite picture shows the remarkably strong extended emission from
twice ionized oxygen atoms in blue-green hues and ionized hydrogen
and nitrogen in red.
Planetary
nebulae have long been appreciated as a final phase
in the life of a sun-like star.
But recently many planetaries have 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.
APOD: 2012 August 26 - 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 the
Cat's Eye
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.
APOD: 2011 April 24 - The Cat's Eye Nebula from Hubble
Explanation:
Staring across interstellar space, the
alluring Cat's Eye
nebula lies three thousand light-years from Earth.
A classic
planetary
nebula, the Cat's Eye (NGC 6543) represents
a final, brief
yet
glorious phase in the life of a sun-like star.
This nebula's dying central star may have produced the simple,
outer pattern of dusty
concentric shells
by shrugging off
outer
layers in a series of regular convulsions.
But the formation of the beautiful, more complex
inner structures is not well understood.
Seen so clearly in
this sharp Hubble Space Telescope image,
the truly cosmic eye is over half a light-year across.
Of course,
gazing into the Cat's Eye,
astronomers may well be seeing
the fate of our sun, destined to enter its own
planetary nebula
phase of evolution ... in about
5 billion years.
APOD: 2011 April 18 - Visual Effects: Wonders of the Universe
Explanation:
What visual effects are depicted in this video?
The effects were created by
BDH for the
BBC television show
Wonders
of the Universe, but are unlabeled in this version.
Even so, some stills in the video are easily identified, such as the
Hubble image of the
Carina Nebula that occurs at about 2:22,
the Crab Nebula at about 7:45, and the
Cat's Eye Nebula that occurs at about 8:16.
A pan away from a spiral galaxy occurs at about 4:00, and breathtaking vistas of the spiral occur until past 5:00.
Pulsars and supernovas seem to take over at about 9:00 and are truly spectacular.
Binary star systems containing a pulsar and an
accretion disk occur beginning at about 14:30.
Past that, the entire computer animated video seems to sparkle with unknown stars, unknown planets, and sequences where unknown gas is flowing toward unknown places.
What, for example, is being depicted at 13:00?
Please help create a companion explanation for the video by
contributing to APOD's discussion page.
APOD: 2011 February 18 - Planetary Nebula Project
Explanation:
Cast off by dying sunlike stars,
planetary nebulae
are a brief but glorious final phase of stellar evolution.
The gaseous shrouds are ionized by an extremely hot central source,
the shrinking core of a star running out of
fuel for nuclear fusion.
Shining in the cosmic night, their simple
symmetries
are fascinating and have inspired this
planetary nebula poster project.
In it, nine planetaries are displayed for comparison in a 3x3 grid.
Of course, planetary nebula fans should be able to
pick out the bright
Messier objects
M27 - the Dumbbell Nebula,
M76 - the Little Dumbbell, and
M57 - the Ring Nebula, as well as
NGC 6543, aka the Cat's Eye Nebula.
Lesser known nebulae include the
Medusa and the
Bug.
All the images were made with detailed narrow band data and
are shown at the same
angular scale,
spanning 20 arc minutes (1/3 degree).
At that scale, the grey circle represents the apparent size of
the Full Moon.
These planetary nebulae
hint at the fate of our own
Sun as its core runs out of nuclear fuel in another
5 billion years.
APOD: 2010 May 9 - Halo of the Cat's Eye
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.
APOD: 2009 December 27 - 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 the
Cat's Eye
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.
APOD: 2008 August 4 - X-Rays from the Cat's Eye Nebula
Explanation:
Haunting patterns within planetary nebula
NGC 6543
readily suggest its popular moniker -- the
Cat's Eye nebula.
Starting in 1995, stunning false-color optical images
from the Hubble
Space Telescope detailed the swirls of this
glowing nebula, known to
be the gaseous shroud expelled from a dying
sun-like
star about 3,000 light-years from Earth.
This composite picture
combines the latest Hubble optical image of the Cat's Eye with new x-ray data from the
orbiting Chandra Observatory and reveals
surprisingly intense x-ray emission indicating the presence
of extremely hot gas.
X-ray emission is shown as blue-purple hues superimposed on the nebula's center.
The nebula's central star itself is clearly immersed in
the multimillion degree, x-ray emitting gas.
Other pockets of x-ray hot gas seem to be bordered by cooler
gas emitting strongly at optical wavelengths, a clear indication
that expanding hot gas is sculpting the
visible Cat's Eye
filaments and structures.
Gazing into the Cat's Eye, astronomers see
the fate of our sun,
destined to enter its own
planetary nebula phase
of evolution ... in about
5 billion
years.
APOD: 2008 March 22 - Cat's Eye Hubble Remix
Explanation:
Staring across interstellar space, the alluring
Cat's Eye
Nebula lies three thousand light-years from Earth.
One of the most famous
planetary
nebulae in the sky, the Cat's Eye (NGC 6543) is over half
a light-year across and represents a final, brief yet
glorious phase
in the life of a sun-like star.
This nebula's dying central star may have
produced the simple, outer pattern of dusty concentric shells by
shrugging off
outer
layers in a series of regular convulsions.
But the formation of the beautiful,
more complex inner structures is not well understood.
Here, Hubble Space Telescope archival image data has been
reprocessed to
create another look the cosmic cat's eye.
Compared to well-known
Hubble pictures,
the alternative processing strives to sharpen and improve the visiblility
of details in light and dark areas of the nebula and also applies a
more complex color
palette.
Of course, gazing into the Cat's Eye, astronomers may well be seeing the
fate of our Sun, destined to enter its own
planetary nebula
phase of evolution ... in about 5 billion years.
APOD: 2007 June 29 - Cat's Eye Wide and Deep
Explanation:
The Cat's Eye Nebula
(NGC 6543) is one of the best known
planetary
nebulae in the sky.
Its more familiar outlines are seen in the brighter central region of
this impressive wide-angle view.
But the composite image also combines many
short and long exposures to reveal the nebula's
extremely faint halo.
At an estimated distance of 3,000 light-years, the
faint outer halo is over 5 light-years across.
Planetary
nebulae have long been appreciated as a final phase
in the life of a sun-like star.
More recently, some planetary nebulae are
found to have
halos like this one, likely formed of material shrugged off during
earlier 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.
Visible on the right, some 50 million light-years beyond
the Cat's Eye, lies spiral galaxy
NGC 6552.
APOD: 2007 May 13 - The Cat's Eye Nebula from Hubble
Explanation:
Staring across interstellar space, the
alluring Cat's Eye
nebula lies three thousand light-years from Earth.
A classic
planetary
nebula, the Cat's Eye (NGC 6543) represents
a final, brief
yet
glorious phase in the life of a sun-like star.
This nebula's dying central star may have produced the simple,
outer pattern of dusty
concentric shells
by shrugging off
outer layers in a series of regular convulsions.
But the formation of the beautiful, more complex
inner structures is not well understood.
Seen so clearly in
this sharp Hubble Space
Telescope image,
the truly cosmic eye is over half a light-year across.
Of course,
gazing into the Cat's Eye,
astronomers may well be seeing
the fate of our sun, destined to enter its own
planetary nebula phase of
evolution ... in about
5 billion years.
APOD: 2006 November 12 - 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 the
Cat's Eye
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.
APOD: 2005 September 24 - Cat s Eye
Explanation:
Staring across interstellar space, the
alluring Cat's Eye
nebula lies three thousand light-years from Earth.
A classic
planetary
nebula, the Cat's Eye (NGC 6543) represents
a final, brief
yet
glorious phase in the life of a sun-like star.
This nebula's dying central star may have produced the simple,
outer pattern of dusty
concentric shells
by shrugging off outer layers
in a series of regular convulsions.
But the formation of the beautiful, more complex
inner structures is not well understood.
Seen so clearly in
this sharp Hubble Space
Telescope image,
the truly cosmic eye is over half a light-year across.
Of course,
gazing into the Cat's Eye,
astronomers may well be seeing
the fate of our sun, destined to enter its own
planetary nebula phase of
evolution ... in about
5 billion years.
APOD: 2004 November 25 - What the Hubble Saw
Explanation:
In this striking 41 inch by 38 inch quilt,
astronomy enthusiast Judy Ross has interpreted some of
the Hubble Space Telescope's
best galactic and extragalactic vistas.
Featured in past APODs,
clockwise from the lower right are; the
Red Rectangle Nebula,
NGC 2392, the
Sleeping Beauty Galaxy,
V838 Monocerotis -
the Milky Way's most mysterious star, and
supernova remnant N49 -
the cosmic debris from an exploded star.
Of course,
quilts have been used
historically
to represent astronomical concepts.
And while inspired by the
images of the cosmos that she
incorporates into her quilts, Ross reports that she is
still a little daunted by the intricacies of the
Cat's Eye Nebula revealed by
the Hubble's sharp vision.
APOD: 2004 September 10 - Cat's Eye
Explanation:
Staring across interstellar space, the
alluring Cat's Eye
nebula lies three thousand light-years from Earth.
A classic
planetary
nebula, the Cat's Eye (NGC 6543) represents
a final, brief
yet
glorious phase in the life of a sun-like star.
This nebula's dying central star may have produced the simple,
outer pattern of dusty
concentric shells
by shrugging off outer layers
in a series of regular convulsions.
But the formation of the beautiful, more complex
inner structures is not well understood.
Seen so clearly in
this sharp Hubble Space
Telescope image,
the truly cosmic eye is over half a light-year across.
Of course,
gazing into the Cat's Eye,
astronomers may well be seeing
the fate of our sun, destined to enter its own
planetary nebula phase of
evolution ... in about
5 billion years.
APOD: 2003 November 1 - Halo of the Cat's Eye
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 emission from
nitrogen atoms as red and oxygen atoms as green and blue shades.
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.
APOD: 2003 June 14 - The Planetary Nebula Show
Explanation:
What do the Owl, the Cat's Eye, the Ghost of Jupiter, and Saturn
have in common?
They're all
planetary nebulae
of course, glowing gaseous
shrouds shed by dying sun-like stars
as
they run out of nuclear fuel.
Beautiful to
look at,
the symmetric,
planet-like
shapes of these
cosmic clouds,
typically 1,000 times the size of our
solar system,
evoke their popular names.
Flipping through digital pictures made by
participants in the Kitt Peak
National Observatory Visitor Center's
Advanced Observing Program,
astronomer Adam Block created this
delightful animation.
Ten different planetary nebula images are presented, each registered
on the central star.
In order, their catalog designations are
NGC
1535,
NGC 3242 (Ghost of Jupiter),
NGC 6543 (Cat's Eye),
NGC 7009 (Saturn Nebula),
NGC 2438,
NGC 6772,
Abell 39,
NGC 7139,
NGC 6781,
and M97 (Owl Nebula).
This glorious final phase
in the life of a star lasts only about 10,000 years.
APOD: 2002 September 4 - Halo of the Cat's Eye
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 emission from
nitrogen atoms as red and oxygen atoms as green and blue shades.
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.
APOD: 2002 March 24 - 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 the
Cat's Eye
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.
APOD: 2001 October 3 - The Planetary Nebula Show
Explanation:
What do the Owl, the Cat's Eye, the Ghost of Jupiter, and Saturn
have in common?
They're all
planetary nebulae
of course(!), glowing gaseous
shrouds shed by dying sun-like stars
as
they run out of nuclear fuel.
Beautiful to
look at,
the symmetric,
planet-like
shapes of these
cosmic clouds,
typically 1,000 times the size of our
solar system,
evoke their popular names.
Flipping through digital pictures made by
participants in the Kitt Peak
National Observatory Visitor Center's
Advanced Observing Program,
astronomer Adam Block created this
delightful animation.
Ten different planetary nebula images are presented, each registered
on the central star.
In order, their catalog designations are
NGC
1535,
NGC 3242 (Ghost of Jupiter),
NGC 6543 (Cat's Eye),
NGC 7009 (Saturn Nebula),
NGC 2438,
NGC 6772,
Abell 39,
NGC 7139,
NGC 6781,
and M97 (Owl Nebula).
This glorious final phase
in the life of a star lasts only about 10,000 years.
APOD: 2001 January 11 - X-rays From The Cat's Eye
Explanation:
Haunting patterns within planetary nebula
NGC 6543
readily suggest its popular moniker -- the Cat's Eye nebula.
In 1995, a stunning false-color optical image
from the Hubble
Space Telescope detailed the swirls of this
glowing nebula, known to
be the gaseous shroud expelled from a dying
sun-like
star about 3,000 light-years from Earth.
This composite picture combines the famous Hubble image
with new x-ray data from the
orbiting
Chandra Observatory and reveals
surprisingly intense x-ray emission indicating the presence
of extremely hot gas.
X-ray emission is shown as blue-purple hues superimposed on red and
green optical emission.
The nebula's central star itself is clearly immersed in
the multimillion degree, x-ray emitting gas.
Other pockets of x-ray hot gas seem to be bordered by cooler
gas emitting strongly at optical wavelengths, a clear indication
that expanding hot gas is sculpting the
visible Cat's Eye
filaments and structures.
Gazing into the Cat's Eye, astronomers see
the fate of our sun,
destined to enter its own
planetary nebula phase
of evolution ... in about
5 billion
years.
APOD: October 31, 1999 - 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
the Cat's Eye 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.
On planet Earth, of course, cats and
other creatures may be on the prowl tonight.
Keep your eyes peeled and have a safe and
happy Halloween!
APOD: September 16, 1999 - The Incredible Expanding Cats Eye
Explanation:
Watch closely.
As this animation blinks between two
Hubble Space Telescope images
of NGC 6543 - the first from 1994 and the second from 1997 -
the intricate filaments of this nebula are seen to shift.
The shift is due to the actual expansion of this gaseous shroud
shed by a dying star!
NGC 6543 is more popularly known as
the Cat's Eye Nebula.
Classified as a "planetary nebula", its complex,
interwoven shells of expanding gas have been castoff by the central star
as it evolves from a red giant to its final white dwarf phase.
The planetary nebula phase of a star's life is known to be
relatively brief, lasting 10,000 years or so.
In fact,
combined with other data,
this nebula's detectable shift over a three year period
allows the expansion age of its bright inner shells to be estimated
at only around 1,000 years while its
distance can be gauged at about 3,000 light-years.
APOD: November 1, 1998 - 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.
APOD: August 2, 1997 - 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.
APOD: July 4, 1996 - The Cat's Eye Nebula (Revisited)
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.
APOD: June 28, 1995 - The Cat's Eye Nebula
Explanation:
Three thousand light years away, a dying star throws off shells of glowing
gas. This Hubble Space Telescope image 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 visible central star may actually be a double 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
evolution.