Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2023 May 25 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Cat's Eye Wide and Deep Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Jean-François Bax, [5]Guillaume Gruntz Explanation: [6]The Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is one of the best known planetary nebulae in the sky. Its [7]more familiar outlines are seen in the brighter [8]central region of the nebula in this impressive wide-angle view. But this wide and deep image combining [9]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 [10]in the life of a sun-like star. More recently, some planetary nebulae are found to [11]have halos like this one, likely formed of material shrugged off during earlier episodes in the star's evolution. While the [12]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. Tomorrow's picture: Virgo Cluster Galaxies __________________________________________________________________ [13]< | [14]Archive | [15]Submissions | [16]Index | [17]Search | [18]Calendar | [19]RSS | [20]Education | [21]About APOD | [22]Discuss | [23]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [24]Robert Nemiroff ([25]MTU) & [26]Jerry Bonnell ([27]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [28]Specific rights apply. [29]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC, [33]NASA Science Activation & [34]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2305/NGC6543_wide.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 4. https://www.astrobin.com/users/jeffbax/ 5. https://www.astrobin.com/users/GuillaumeGz/ 6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat's_Eye_Nebula 7. https://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic0414/ 8. https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.01313 9. https://www.astrobin.com/mfogwz/D/ 10. http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/educators/lifecycles/stars.html 11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140601.html 12. https://vimeo.com/51508514 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230524.html 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 17. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 22. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230525 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230526.html 24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 27. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 29. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 31. https://www.nasa.gov/ 32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 33. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 34. http://www.mtu.edu/