Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Three thousand light years away, a dying star throws off shells of glowing gas. In fact, the features seen in this image are so complex that astronomers suspect the bright central object may actually be a binary star system . The term planetary nebula , used to describe this general class of objects, is misleading. Although these objects may appear round and planet-like in small telescopes, high resolution images reveal them to be stars surrounded by cocoons of gas blown off in the late stages of stellar evolution .
Specific rights apply .