'Cat's Eye' Planetary Nebula

Spitzer_sig09-001_1024

spitzer_sig09-001 March 12th, 2009

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/J. Hora (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)

The "Cat's Eye" nebula, or NGC 6543, is a well-studied example of a "planetary nebula." Such objects are the glowing remnants of dust and gas expelled from moderate-sized stars during their last stages of life. Our own sun will generate such a nebula in about five billion years.

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has studied many such planetary nebulae in infrared light, including a variety of more distant ones, which have helped scientists identify a population of carbon-bearing stars near our galaxy's center.

The infrared emission from the Cat's Eye is generated by a variety of elements and molecules. The bright inner region of this nebula shows a complex structure reminiscent of a feline eye. Outside this compact region lies a series of other structures representing material that was ejected slightly earlier in the central star's life, when it was a giant star.

The image is a composite of data from Spitzer's infrared array camera. Light with a wavelength of 3.6 microns is rendered as blue, 5.8 microns is displayed as green and 8.0 microns is represented in red. The brightness of the central area has been greatly reduced to make it possible to maintain its visibility while enhancing the brightness of the much fainter outer features. Overall colors have been enhanced to better show slight variations in hue.

Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope

Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/2056-sig09-001--Cat-s-Eye-Planetary-Nebula

Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: Public Domain

Image Details

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

Distance

Universescale1
3,300 light years
Spitzer_sig09-001_128
 

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 17h 58m 13.1s
DEC = 66° 40’ 1.0”
Orientation
North is up
Field of View
8.5 x 8.5 arcminutes
Constellation
Draco

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Blue Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Near-IR) 3.6 µm
Blue Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Mid-IR) 5.8 µm
Green Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Mid-IR) 8.0 µm
Spectrum_base
Blue
Blue
Green
Spitzer_sig09-001_1280
×
ID
sig09-001
Subject Category
B.4.1.3  
Subject Name
Cat's Eye Nebula, NGC 6543
Credits
NASA/JPL-Caltech/J. Hora (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Release Date
2009-03-12
Lightyears
3,300
Redshift
Reference Url
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/2056-sig09-001--Cat-s-Eye-Planetary-Nebula
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Spitzer, Spitzer, Spitzer
Instrument
IRAC, IRAC, IRAC
Color Assignment
Blue, Blue, Green
Band
Infrared, Infrared, Infrared
Bandpass
Near-IR, Mid-IR, Mid-IR
Central Wavelength
3600, 5800, 8000
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
J2000
Reference Value
269.5546917, 66.666931
Reference Dimension
1700, 1700
Reference Pixel
1250, 1250
Scale
-8.333333e-05, 8.333333e-05
Rotation
0
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Full
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
Spitzer Space Telescope
URL
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
1200 E. California Blvd.
City
Pasadena
State/Province
CA
Postal Code
91125
Country
USA
Rights
Public Domain
Publisher
Spitzer Science Center
Publisher ID
spitzer
Resource ID
sig09-001.tif
Metadata Date
2011-09-06
Metadata Version
1.1
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

×
Universescalefull
3,300 light years

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