Title:[1066] Abell 39 planetary nebula Caption:This image of Abell 39 was taken with the T13 CCD through a narrow band filter using the 0.9-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The exposure time is one hour. Abell 39 is unusual in that it shows the perfectly spherical shape often assumed in theoretical studies of planetary nebulae, but rarely encountered. This false-color photo emphasizes the bright rim of the nebula in yellow/red. Copyright: Credit:National Optical Astronomy Observatories

Title:[1120] Dumbbell Nebula in the constellation Vulpecula Caption:M27, NGC 6853, known as the Dumbbell Nebula, in the constellation Vulpecula. M27 is approximately two and one half light years in diameter and 850 light years distant. This image was made by combining three CCD frames, taken at the Kitt Peak 0.9-m telescope in 1988. By using different filters in front of the monochrome detector, corresponding approximately to the primary colors red, green and blue, it is possible to recreate a true-color picture. The image was processed to correct for detector sensitivity variation and to remove incorrect regions caused by manufacturing defects and by the arrival of cosmic rays at the telescope. Copyright: Credit:National Optical Astronomy Observatories/W. Schoening, N.A. Sharp

Title:[1129] Planetary nebula in the constellation Norma Caption:RCW 101 in the constellation Norma, a planetary nebula - so-called because of its apparent spherical shape. CTIO photograph. Copyright: Credit:National Optical Astronomy Observatories

Title:[1130] Planetary nebula in the constellation Scorpius Caption:NGC 6302, "planetary" nebula, in the constellation Scorpius. Also known as the "Bug Nebula". Cerro Tolo 4-meter telescope photo. Copyright: Credit:National Optical Astronomy Observatories

Title:[0240] A planetary nebula, NGC 6302 Caption:Relatively low-mass stars like the Sun end their lives by shedding most of their outer layers as a nebulous cloud, leaving behind a tiny, hot star. Many stars puff off their gas in a spherical shell, superficially resembling the disc of a planet, hence the name for this class of object. In some cases, as in NGC 6302, the gas has expanded unevenly and an irregular planetary nebula results. In this example, some of the gas was ejected from the star at speeds of around 400 kilometers per second, indicating a particularly violent initial explosion. Copyright: Credit:D.F.Malin

Title:[0188] Planetary nebula, the Helix, NGC 7293 Caption:On deep photographs this beautiful planetary nebula has a diameter of about half a degree - the same apparent size as the Moon in the sky. The AAT color picture reveals the various levels of excitation within the shell of matter ejected from the central star, the greenish middle portion being from ionized oxygen, the outer red due to nitrogen and hydrogen. The cloud of gas is extremely tenuous and close inspection will show many faint galaxies of stars in the background. The Helix nebula is about 400 light years away from Earth, or about 100 times more distant than the nearest stars. Copyright: Credit:D.F.Malin

Title:[1115] Ring Nebula in Lyra Caption: Ring nebula, M57, NGC 6720, in the constellation Lyra. A spherical shell of glowing gas surrounds a central, hot star in this Kitt Peak 4-meter telescope photograph. The nebula was formed by the nova of the central star - a sudden release of a large portion of the star's mass. The Ring Nebula was the first planetary nebula discovered, so called because of its spherical appearance through telescopes in the past. It has a diameter of one-half light year and is located 5,000 light years from Earth. Copyright: Credit:National Optical Astronomy Observatories

Title:[1126] Saturn nebula in Aquarius Caption: Saturn Nebula, NGC 7009, in the constellation Aquarius. This planetary nebula is 3900 light years distant. Kitt Peak National Observatory 2.1-meter telescope photograph. Copyright: Credit:National Optical Astronomy Observatories

Title:[3069] A recently formed planetary nebula, Henize 1357 (HST) Caption:A Hubble Space Telescope image of a recently formed planetary nebula, Henize, obtained in August 1992. It shows an expanding cloud of gas ejected from the aging star in the center, much of which is concentrated in a ring. Ground-based observations over the last few decades show that Henize 1357 has changed from looking like an ordinary hot star to an object with the characteristics of a planetary nebula. Copyright: Credit:M.Bobrowsky and NASA

Title:[3070] A complex planetary nebula, NGC 6543 (HST) Caption:A Hubble Space Telescope image of one of the most complex planetary nebulae ever seen, NGC 6543, taken in September 1994. A possible explanation for tangle of shells, jets and knots of gas is that the central "star" may be a binary system. NGC 6543 is 3,000 light years away and estimated to be 1,000 years old. Copyright: Credit:J.P.Harrington, K.J.Borkowsky and NASA

Title:[4059] Planetary nebula NGC 7027 Caption:This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of planetary nebula NGC 7027 shows remarkable new details of the process by which a star like the Sun dies. NGC 7027 is located about 3,000 light-years from Earth in the direction of the summer constellation Cygnus. The NGC 7027 photograph is a composite of two Hubble images, taken in visible and infrared light, and is shown in "pseudo-color". Copyright: Credit:H.Bond (STScI) and NASA