Magical nebulae: The Cat's Eye Nebula is the first spectroscopically studied planetary nebula

19. 09. 2021

Planetary nebulae are beautiful. Gases around dying stars display unmatched colors and shapes. However their composition was a mystery until William Huggins made a spectroscopic analysis of the Cat's Eye nebula in 1864.

Mission	Timing	Status
Hubble	24. 4. 1990	Ongoing

Cats Eye Nebula

Except for the hydrogen and helium, that are almost omnipresent in the universe, astronomers found carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. All of these elements have larger abundancies, than could be found in our Sun.

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Series Kouzelné mlhoviny

Vesmír skýtá nespočet různých objektů a úkazů, málo které se však svou krásou a rozličností vyrovnají mlhovinám. Jejich barvy, tvary i samotný původ ukazují nádheru vesmíru, jehož jsme součástí.