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This Hubble telescope image shows one of the most complex planetary nebulae ever seen, NGC 6543, nicknamed the "Cat's Eye Nebula." Hubble reveals surprisingly intricate structures including concentric gas shells, jets of high-speed gas, and unusual shock-induced knots of gas. Estimated to be 1,000 years old, the nebula is a visual "fossil record" of the dynamics and late evolution of a dying star.

A preliminary interpretation suggests that the object might be a double-star system. The dynamical effects of two stars orbiting one another most easily explains the intricate structures, which are much more complicated than features seen in most planetary nebulae. The two stars are too close together to be individually resolved by Hubble and instead appear as a single point of light at the center of the nebula.

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      News Media Contact
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      617-496-7998
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      Corinne Beckinger
      Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
      256-544-0034
      corinne.m.beckinger@nasa.gov
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      Johnson Space Center
      For more information on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, visit:
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      Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov
      Victoria Segovia
      Johnson Space Center
      (281) 483-5111
      victoria.segovia@nasa.gov
      View the full article
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