Lying around 3,300 light years away in the constellation Draco, the Cats Eye Nebula is perhaps one of the most intricate of all known planetary nebula. Within the Cats Eye is a complex mix of expanding concentric shells and spiral bubbles which are likely powered by the intense radiation of the central star and are heated by interacting with their surroundings. The core of the Cats Eye is around 0.2 light years across and is believed to have formed within the past thousand years or so. The fainter rings located around the ‚eye‘ must have formed from material that was blown off the central star. The material was likely blown off in pulses every several thousand years. Other structures which can only be seen in infrared light likely formed from eruptions from the central star within the past 50,000 years.
Perhaps the most fascinating feature in the Cats Eye is the corkscrewing series of overlapping bubbles near its centre. Astronomers have found that that the regions within the bubbles are filled with hot, X-ray emitting gas. Astronomers believe that both the bubbles and X-rays formed due to the stellar wind being produced by the central star. Whatever the cause, the structures within the Cats Eye Nebula are absolutely stunning.
Image credit: NASA/ESA
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