Some of the most beautiful and iconic images in astronomy are those of planetary nebula. This is a picture of the Cat's Eye nebula. Planetary nebula, despite their name, have absolutely nothing to do with planets. They are the result of a violent explosion of a star similar in size to our sun. Star's like our sun will live about 10 billion years. After this time, the star will puff up and become a red giant. As the star progresses through its final stages of life, it collapses on itself and if the pressure becomes too high it explodes, leaving behind a planetary nebula. Astronomers are actively studying these objects in hopes to learn a lot more about them.
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