NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope captured the Cat’s Eye nebula, or NGC 6543, is a well-studied example of a planetary nebula. Such objects are the glowing remnants of dust and gas expelled from moderate-sized stars during their last stages of life.

This detailed view of NGC 6543, the Cat Eye Nebula, from NASA Hubble Space Telescope includes intricate structures, including concentric gas shells, jets of high-speed gas, and unusual shock-induced knots of gas.