Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

The Cat's Eye Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 27, 2009 is “The Cat's Eye Nebula,” an image. It is credited to Credit: J. P. Harrington ( U. Maryland ) & K. J. Borkowski ( NCSU ) HST , NASA. The original explanation runs about 112 words.

The Cat's Eye Nebula
Credit: J. P. Harrington ( U. Maryland ) & K. J. Borkowski ( NCSU ) HST , NASA Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Three thousand light-years away, a dying star throws off shells of glowing gas. This image from the Hubble Space Telescope reveals the Cat’s Eye Nebula to be one of the most complex planetary nebulae known.”

— APOD editors, December 27, 2009

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 27, 2009
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: J. P. Harrington ( U. Maryland ) & K. J. Borkowski ( NCSU ) HST , NASA
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 112 words

All of December 2009 → · 2009 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

NebulaeHubble Space Telescope

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 27 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Electronics Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB Read astronomy and space-history books anywhere. View on Amazon → Electronics Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones Noise-cancelling headphones for documentaries and launch livestreams. View on Amazon →

Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.