Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. After a star like our Sun completes fusion in its core, it throws off its outer layers it a striking display called a planetary nebula. NGC 3242 is such a planetary nebula, with the stellar remnant white dwarf star visible at the center. NGC 3242 is much farther away however, than the measly 40 light-minutes distance to Jupiter . In fact, by comparing the apparent expansion rate with the actual rate determined from Doppler studies, astronomers have estimated the distance to NGC 3242 to be about 1400 light-years away.
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