Deep-sky object class · e.g. The Ring Nebula (M57)
Planetary Nebula
The glowing shell of gas cast off by a dying Sun-like star as it becomes a white dwarf, ionised and lit up by the hot stellar core at its centre. Despite the name — coined because their round disks resembled planets in early telescopes — planetary nebulae have nothing to do with planets; they are a brief, beautiful final phase of low- and intermediate-mass stars.
Highlights
- ›The cast-off shell of a dying Sun-like star — e.g. the Ring Nebula
Examples & related concepts
Across the encyclopedia
Knowledge connections
- Associated withDeep-Sky Object
- Associated withRing Nebula
- Associated withMessier 27 (Dumbbell Nebula)
- Associated withHelix Nebula
- Associated withPlanetary-Nebula Ejection
- Associated withWhite Dwarf
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.