Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Draco (Dra)  ·  Contains:  IC 4677  ·  NGC 6543  ·  NGC 6552  ·  PK096+29.1
NGC 6543 Cat’s Eye Nebula, rdhand
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NGC 6543 Cat’s Eye Nebula

NGC 6543 Cat’s Eye Nebula, rdhand
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NGC 6543 Cat’s Eye Nebula

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Description

NGC 6543 called the Cat’s Eye Nebula is 3300 light years distant.  The halo of gas shown in this photo is 3 light years across and was ejected from the star over 50,000 years ago.  The somewhat red small circular structure in the center is the Cat’s Eye Planetary Nebula that is too small for me to photograph.  It was formed by a second ejection of gas that happened about 1000 years ago.  On the right hand side is a flattened light spot.  That is Galaxy NGC 6552.  It is 365 million light years distant.  The photons that hit the cameras sensor started before the age of the dinosaurs.

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NGC 6543 Cat’s Eye Nebula, rdhand

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Cloudy Nights

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Planetary Nebula