Today we celebrate cats! 😺 8 August is International Cat Day, and we’re taking our celebration three thousand light years away, to the mesmerizing Cat’s Eye Nebula (NGC 6543)! Captured in stunning detail by @hubbleesa, this cosmic gem showcases intricate bubbles of glowing gas, a breathtaking finale as the central star nears the end of its life. Unlike their explosive, supernova-prone cousins, stars like our Sun form planetary nebulas, ejecting layers of material in a celestial dance that resembles a planet in small telescopes. Discovered by William Herschel in 1786, the Cat’s Eye Nebula is a favorite for astronomers, from amateurs resolving its distinct shape to large telescopes uncovering a vast halo. First revealing its intricate structure in 1994 (see images 2-4), Hubble’s observations hint at a dramatic history of mass ejections every 1500 years, crafting dust shells with the combined mass of all our Solar System’s planets! Published in 2004, the main image is a reminder o...