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NGC 6543: The Cat's Eye Nebula Redux

Chandra_399_1024

chandra_399 July 30th, 2008

Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/STScI

A composite image of data from NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue) and Hubble Space Telescope (red and purple) of NGC 6543 shows a phase that Sun-like stars undergo at the end of their lives. Material from the outer layers of the star in the Cat's Eye is flying away at about 4 million miles per hour. A hot core is left behind that eventually collapses to become a white dwarf star. The Chandra data reveal that the central star in NGC 6543 is surrounded by a cloud of multi-million-degree gas.

Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2008/catseye/

Curator: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html

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Image Details

Image Type: Observation
Object Name: NGC 6543 • Cat's Eye Nebula
Subject - Milky Way: Nebula > Type > Planetary

Distance

Universescale1

3,000 light years

Chandra_399_128

Position Details

Position (FK5): RA = 17h 58m 33.6s; DEC = 66° 37’ 55.4”
Orientation: North is 144.7° CCW
Field of View: 1.2 x 1.2 arcminutes
Constellation: Draco

Color Mapping

	Telescope	Spectral Band	Wavelength
	Chandra (ACIS)	X-ray (X-ray)	920.0 pm
	Hubble (ACS)	Optical (O-III)	502.0 nm
	Hubble (ACS)	Optical (O-III)	505.0 nm
	Hubble (ACS)	Optical (H-alpha)	658.0 nm

Spectrum_xray1

Blue

Red

Purple

Red

Chandra_399_1280

×

ID: 399
Subject Category: B.4.1.3
Subject Name: NGC 6543, Cat's Eye Nebula
Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/STScI

Release Date: 2008-07-30
Lightyears: 3,000
Redshift: 3,000
Reference Url: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2008/catseye/

Type: Observation
Image Quality: Good
Distance Notes

Facility: Chandra, Hubble, Hubble, Hubble
Instrument: ACIS, ACS, ACS, ACS
Color Assignment: Blue, Red, Purple, Red

Band: X-ray, Optical, Optical, Optical
Bandpass: X-ray, O-III, O-III, H-alpha
Central Wavelength: 0.92, 502, 505, 658

Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID: 630
Notes

Coordinate Frame: FK5
Equinox: J2000
Reference Value: 269.640136719, 66.6320571899
Reference Dimension: 3600, 3600

Reference Pixel: 2043.50292969, 1902.92858887
Scale: -5.44576350278355e-06, 5.44576350278355e-06
Rotation: 144.74702955079
Coordinate System Projection:: TAN

Quality: Full
FITS Header
Notes

Creator (Curator): Chandra X-ray Observatory
URL: http://chandra.harvard.edu
Name: Chandra X-ray Observatory Center
Email: cxcpub@cfa.harvard.edu

Telephone: 617.496.7941
Address: 60 Garden St.
City: Cambridge
State/Province: MA

Postal Code: 02138
Country: USA
Rights: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html

Publisher: Chandra X-ray Observatory
Publisher ID: chandra
Resource ID: catseye.tif

Resource URL: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2008/catseye/catseye.tif
Related Resources: 08/08/2008

Metadata Date: 2012-04-03
Metadata Version: 1.2

×

Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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Universescalefull

3,000 light years

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NASA’s Universe of Learning materials are based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC65A to the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The award is part of NASA’s Science Activation program, which strives to further enable NASA science experts and content into the learning environment more effectively and efficiently with learners of all ages.