Stellar process
Planetary-Nebula Ejection
At the end of the asymptotic giant branch a dying star sheds its outer layers into space, exposing the hot stellar core beneath. The core's ultraviolet light lights up the expanding shell as a glowing planetary nebula — a name from the eighteenth century that has nothing to do with planets — before it fades to a white dwarf.
Highlights
- ›The luminous shell a dying Sun-like star leaves behind
Stars, stages & concepts
Across stellar astrophysics
Knowledge connections
- Associated withThe Asymptotic Giant Branch
- Associated withHelix Nebula
- Associated withWhite Dwarf
- Associated withThe Asymptotic Giant Branch
- Associated withPlanetary Nebula
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.