Cat's Eye Nebula
NGC 6543
Properties
Position & Identifiers
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About Cat's Eye Nebula
Description
The Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is one of the most structurally complex planetary nebulae known, located about 3,300 light-years away in Draco. Its bright inner shell spans only about 20 arcseconds, surrounded by a faint outer halo of earlier ejected material.
Observing Tips
Easy to find near the north ecliptic pole in Draco. Visible in small telescopes as a blue-green fuzzy star. A 6-inch scope reveals its disk shape. The 11th magnitude central star is visible at higher magnifications. Observable year-round from northern latitudes.
History
Discovered by William Herschel on February 15, 1786. It was the first planetary nebula studied spectroscopically by William Huggins in 1864, who proved it was composed of gas rather than unresolved stars — a pivotal moment in astrophysics.
Fun Facts
Hubble Space Telescope images revealed an extraordinarily complex system of jets, knots, bubbles, and arcs. The central star is a binary whose orbital motion may be responsible for the intricate structure.
Community Photos (1)
Credit: J.P. Harrington and K.J. Borkowski (University of Maryland), and NASA. License: Public domain. (Wikimedia Commons)
Skybred Mar 2, 2026