Picture from October 21, 2010
This is a picture of the planetary nebula MWP1, 4,500 light years away in the constellation of Cygnus. Planetary nebulae don't have anything to do with planets (the name comes from how they looked through telescopes back when they were first discovered in the 18th century). They are actually clouds of ionized gas expelled by dying red giant stars that are turning into white dwarfs. Typically, planetary nebulae only last from 10 to 20 thousand years. However, MWP1 is estimated to be some 150 thousand years old based on its rate of expansion.This makes MWP1 (and the star at its center) an intriguing object of study for astronomers.
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