Skip Navigation
menu close modal
Resources

Planetary Nebula (Version Two, Pink)

A transparent, colorful hourglass shape has a central point that is a white circle surrounded by bright, light haze. Extending out from the center in opposite directions are plumes of color that form the hourglass shape. Each starts as blue near the central circle, then fades into a purplish pink color. The outline of the hourglass shape is wavy and white dots representing stars speckle the image.
Credit: NASA
Published: December 19, 2022

An illustration of a planetary nebula. The colors depicted in this illustration are for artistic purposes only.

ENLARGE

Explore the Universe

Related

An illustration of NASA's SOFIA, a modified Boeing 747 aircraft.
More
This illustration shows NASA's SOFIA in shades of blue. SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft, and so it is shaped like a commercial airplane, with the NASA and German Aerospace Center (DLR) logos on its tail.
SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy)
An illustration of a purple spiral galaxy.
More
A hazy range of purples makes up the base of this swirling spiral of light blue lines twirling inward toward a yellow cloud with a white spot in the center. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Spiral Galaxy (Purple)
An illustration of NASAs Spitzer.
More
This illustration shows NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope in shades of blue. The main body of the observatory is cylindrical with an open top and a large piece containing the observatory's solar array on a panel on the telescope's back.
Spitzer Space Telescope
An illustration of a planetary nebula.
More
A subtly transparent, colorful hourglass shape has a central point that is a white circle surrounded by bright, white haze. Extending outward from the center in opposite directions are plums of color that form the hourglass shape. The central part of each plume starts as an icy, light blue and fades upward into a purple color and outward into red. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Planetary Nebula (Version Two, Purple)
An illustration of a purple elliptical galaxy.
More
A diffuse oval is outlined by dark purple but is primarily a medium, bright purple except for the center, a bright white spot surrounded by a small ring of white haze. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Elliptical Galaxy (Purple)
An illustration of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.
More
This illustration shows NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in shades of blue. Its base is made up of multiple different layers in an elongated shape. On top of the base sits the observatory's primary mirror which is a large hexagonal shape made up of smaller hexagons. Two rods at the base and one at the top protrude forward and all connect to a small disc, shaped object.
James Webb Space Telescope
An illustration of NASA's SPHEREx spacecraft.
More
This illustration of NASA's SPHEREx mission shows the spacecraft in shades of blue. The main body of the spacecraft is cone shaped with smaller cone shapes within it, with a solar array "wing" stemming from the side of the craft.
SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer)
An illustration of NASA's PIPER instrument.
More
This illustration shows NASA's PIPER instrument in shades of blue. Piper has a cage-like structure with a large cylinder inside of it and smaller boxes attached around it. Long thin support pieces extend from the body upward, which will attach the payload to a large balloon.
PIPER (Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer)
An illustration of NASA's RXTE satellite.
More
This illustration shows NASA's RXTE satellite in shades of blue. The satellite's main body is shaped like a rectangular box with two solar array "wings," one on either side.
RXTE (Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer)
An illustration of a pink and purple star-forming nebula.
More
A large, amorphous blob in a subtle tear drop shape has layers of transparent, hazy color overlapping, starting with a small blue haze around the edge and moving inward to a dark purple, a redder purple, and then a brighter purple. While white dots representing stars speckle the whole image, in the center of this shape is a bright white oval cloud with more pronounced and larger stars grouped together.
Star-forming Nebula (Version One, Purple)
An illustration of the EXCLAIM instrument.
More
An illustration in multiple shades of blue depicting EXCLAIM. The instrument is made up of a hollow cylindrical object next to a rectangular object. The whole instrument sits within a framework that extends upwards to a point, where it will attach to a balloon.
EXCLAIM (Experiment for Cryogenic Large-Aperture Intensity Mapping)
An illustration of ESA's Planck spacecraft.
More
This illustration shows ESA's Planck spacecraft in shades of blue. The craft has a circular base topped by a short instrument with an open top and instrument pieces visible inside.
Planck
An illustration of an orange and yellow elliptical galaxy.
More
A diffuse oval is outlined by a light orange-ish yellow but gets progressively lighter in rings towards the center, a bright white spot surrounded by a small ring of white haze. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Elliptical Galaxy (Orange/Yellow)
An illustration of NASA's Fermi spacecraft.
More
Fermi is illustrated in multiple shades of blue. With two "wings" coming out of its sides, each with three panels of solar arrays, the main body of the spacecraft is box-shaped. It has a main body with one open side with small components visible within and a smaller, darker box on top.
Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope
An illustration of a planetary nebula.
More
In the background is a hazy pink and purple circle, with dark, transparent dark purple around the edge and lighter/brighter pinks leading inward. In front of the big circle is a purple object, shaped like a minimal, twisty lemon. Inside of this shape is a central, light yellow, cloudy circle with a bright white spot in the middle. All within the lemon-shaped object, the white spot is surrounded by a pink oblong oval shape which is overlapped by two large, pink circular shapes and two small, pink circular shapes. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Planetary Nebula (Version One, Pink)
An illustration showing the side of a purple spiral galaxy.
More
A horizontal oval is outlined by a diffuse, bright purple surrounding a darker purple outline which fades through lighter and brighter purple colors as it moves inward. The center of the shape is a hazy yellow circle. Cutting across the center of the image is a flattened disc outlined in light blue with a blueish-gray center. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Spiral Galaxy (Side View, Purple)
An illustration of ESA's XMM Newton observatory.
More
This illustration shows ESA's XMM-Newton observatory in shades of blue. Overall, the craft is dragonfly-shaped with a long, cylindrical body and an open "head" from which two solar array "wings" extend.
XMM Newton (X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission Newton)
 An illustration of ESA's Euclid spacecraft.
More
An illustration in multiple shades of blue depicting Euclid. The spacecraft has a cylindrical body with an open top and a flat, square base as well as a flat panel along its back.
Euclid
An illustration of NASA's Chandra spacecraft.
More
A graphic of Chandra is shown in light and dark blue with a long, cylindrical main body. At the front of this cylinder is a darker circle. Jutting off of the front of the main body are two "wings" of solar arrays.
Chandra X-ray Observatory
An illustration of a purple star-forming nebula.
More
A large, amorphous blob in a circular shape has layers of transparent, hazy color overlapping. The different layers start with a slight blue and dark purple around the outer rim and move inward to brighter purples. While white dots representing stars speckle the whole image, in the upper left part of this shape is a bright white circular cloud with more pronounced and larger stars grouped together.
Star-forming Nebula (Version Two, Purple)
An illustration of JAXA's Suzaku spacecraft.
More
This illustration shows the Suzaku spacecraft in shades of blue. The long body of the spacecraft is narrower at the top than at the bottom, which has a hollow area underneath. Solar panels extend to either side of the widest part of the body. Round circles representing the telescopes extend from the top of the narrowest part of the body.
Suzaku
An illustration showing an irregular galaxy.
More
An amorphous, diffuse purple blob that's darker around the rim with a light, whitish center. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Irregular Galaxy (Version One)
An illustration of NASA's IXPE observatory.
More
The IXPE observatory is illustrated in shades of blue. The full shape of IXPE is horizontal, with a three-leaf-clover shaped base with small cylinders on each "leaf" of the base. Stemming outward is a long cylindrical body that comes to a larger, open head with a series of thin panels on top.
IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer)
An illustration of NASA's SuperTIGER instrument.
More
This illustration shows NASA's SuperTIGER instrument in shades of blue. This balloon-borne instrument has a main, box-shaped body on top of a structure that has panels attached to the bottom and a piece of the structure that extends outward on one side of the box-shaped instrument body.
SuperTIGER (Super Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder)
An illustration of a blue spiral galaxy.
More
A hazy range of blues with darker blue around the edge makes up the base of this swirling spiral of white lines twirling inward toward a white cloud with a white spot in the center. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Spiral Galaxy (Blue)

Explore the Universe

Nebulae News

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured a pair of actively forming young stars, known as Herbig-Haro 46/47.
More
Webb Snaps Highly Detailed Infrared Image of Actively Forming Stars
Webb Snaps Highly Detailed Infrared Image of Actively Forming Stars
Four images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope of two galaxies, a nebula, and a star cluster.
More
NASA's Chandra, Webb Combine for Arresting Views
NASA's Chandra, Webb Combine for Arresting Views
The old complaint is true: Dust gets everywhere. It’s found throughout the cosmos, at the bottom of everything.
More
Dust in the Stellar Wind: A Cosmological Primer
Dust in the Stellar Wind: A Cosmological Primer
Astronomers are celebrating NASA's Hubble Space Telescope's 33rd launch anniversary with an ethereal photo of a nearby star-forming region, NGC 1333.
More
Hubble Celebrates 33rd Anniversary With a Peek Into Nearby Star-Forming Region
Hubble Celebrates 33rd Anniversary With a Peek Into Nearby Star-Forming Region
A snapshot of the Tarantula Nebula is featured in this image from Hubble.
More
Hubble's New View of the Tarantula Nebula
Hubble's New View of the Tarantula Nebula
NGC 346, one of the most dynamic star-forming regions in nearby galaxies, is full of mystery. Less so, now, with new findings from NASA’s Webb.
More
NASA's Webb Uncovers Star Formation in Cluster's Dusty Ribbons
NASA's Webb Uncovers Star Formation in Cluster's Dusty Ribbons
The largest and brightest region of star formation in the Local Group of galaxies, imaged here by Chandra and Webb, is called 30 Doradus.
More
The Enduring Stellar Lifecycle in 30 Doradus
The Enduring Stellar Lifecycle in 30 Doradus
There’s more to constellations than meets the eye? They tell us stories about the universe from our perspective on Earth.
More
Discovering the Universe Through the Constellation Orion
Discovering the Universe Through the Constellation Orion
A portion of the open cluster NGC 6530 appears as a roiling wall of smoke studded with stars in this Hubble image.
More
Hubble Views a Star-Studded Cosmic Cloud
Hubble Views a Star-Studded Cosmic Cloud
Scientists studying the Carina Nebula discovered jets and outflows from young stars previously hidden by dust.
More
NASA's Webb Unveils Young Stars in Early Stages of Formation
NASA's Webb Unveils Young Stars in Early Stages of Formation
This sparkling new image depicts a small section of the Carina Nebula, one of the NASA Hubble Space Telescope’s most-imaged objects.
More
Hubble's Sparkling New View of the Carina Nebula
Hubble's Sparkling New View of the Carina Nebula
This collection of stars, an open star cluster called NGC 1858, was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.
More
Hubble Spies Emission Nebula-Star Cluster Duo
Hubble Spies Emission Nebula-Star Cluster Duo
A new image combining previously released data from three telescopes shows a region that includes the Orion Nebula.
More
NASA, ESA Reveal Tale of Death, Dust in Orion Constellation
NASA, ESA Reveal Tale of Death, Dust in Orion Constellation
A small, dense cloud of gas and dust called CB 130-3 blots out the center of this image from Hubble.
More
Hubble Views a Billowing Cosmic Cloud
Hubble Views a Billowing Cosmic Cloud
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed features of the protostar within the dark cloud L1527.
More
NASA's Webb Catches Fiery Hourglass as New Star Forms
NASA's Webb Catches Fiery Hourglass as New Star Forms
NASA’s IXPE has delivered its first imaging data since completing its month-long commissioning phase.
More
NASA's IXPE Sends First Science Image
NASA's IXPE Sends First Science Image
NASA’s newest X-ray eyes are open and ready for discovery.
More
NASA's New IXPE Mission Begins Science Operations
NASA's New IXPE Mission Begins Science Operations
NASA’s IXPE mission launched Thursday, December 9, 2021, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
More
NASA Launches New Mission to Explore Universe's Most Dramatic Objects
NASA Launches New Mission to Explore Universe's Most Dramatic Objects
We can agree that nebulae are some of the most majestic-looking objects in the universe. But what are they exactly?
More
Decoding Nebulae
Decoding Nebulae
NASA SOFIA data from nebula RCW 120 provided clues about how stars and galaxies formed in the early universe.
More
Surprisingly Young Nebula Hints at Formation of Stars in the Early Universe
Surprisingly Young Nebula Hints at Formation of Stars in the Early Universe
SPHEREx officially entered Phase C, which means the agency has approved preliminary design plans for the observatory.
More
A New NASA Space Telescope, SPHEREx, Is Moving Ahead
A New NASA Space Telescope, SPHEREx, Is Moving Ahead
Since its launch, NASA’s Spitzer has lifted the veil on the wonders of the cosmos using infrared light.
More
Sixteen Images for Spitzer's Sweet 16
Sixteen Images for Spitzer's Sweet 16
The first type of molecule that ever formed in the universe was detected in space for the first time, after decades of searching.
More
The Universe's First Type of Molecule Is Found at Last
The Universe's First Type of Molecule Is Found at Last
Fortunately, no one has to tidy up the dust in space — because around 100 tons rain down on Earth alone every day!
More
Be Glad You Don't Have to Dust in Space!
Be Glad You Don't Have to Dust in Space!
NuSTAR created the first map of radioactive material in a supernova remnant.
More
NASA's NuSTAR Untangles Mystery of How Stars Explode
NASA's NuSTAR Untangles Mystery of How Stars Explode