A beautiful, complex ending⁣ Planetary nebulae, like this one only 1,800 light-years away, represent the final, brief stage in the life of a medium-sized star like our Sun. While consuming the last of the fuel in its core, the dying star ejects a large portion of its outer envelope. This material is then lit up by ultraviolet radiation, producing glowing clouds of gas that can show complex structure; here, the nebula has structures that nest within each other, along with a bright golden ring twisting and tilting throughout.⁣ Planetary nebulae get their name from early astronomers, who viewed them through telescopes with little magnification and optics that were far from sharp. The brightly colored nebulae are often roughly round, and many appear green or blue like Uranus and Neptune at lower resolution, so their appearance was similar to the giant planets in the outer solar system.⁣ ⁣ #NASA #Hubble #Space