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| The Spirograph Nebula is a planetary nebula some 2000 light years distant toward the constellation Lepus. Named because they resemble planets when viewed with small telescopes, planetary nebulae are actually spherical shells of gas that are cast off by aging giant stars late in life. The unusual patterns and textures that weave through the Spirograph Nebula are not well understood, although they are probably related to chaotic winds from the central star, which is known to be highly variable. The Spirograph Nebula––which is also known as IC 418––is about 0.1 light year in diameter. In this image, red shows emission from ionized Nitrogen, green shows emission from Hydrogen, and blue shows emission from ionized Oxygen. |
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