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Universe of the Hubble Space Telescope 2000 Calendar

NGC 3242 is a planetary nebula located some 3000 light years away toward the constellation Hydra. Planetary nebulae are not related to planets but rather are expanding shells of gas ejected from the hot, outer layers of red giant stars. These layers are thrown out into space as the stars enter the final phases of their lives, just before they collapse to white dwarf stars. The precursor star is visible as the small, purple dot near the center of the image. The structure of the planetary nebula-including the light blue, green, and orange wisps-is set by a variety of factors, including ambient gas, stellar winds, and jets that stream away from the central star.