APOD- Cat's Eye Nebula

The Cat's-Eye Nebula, 3000 light-years away, is a slowly-dying star. IT is one of the most complex planetary nebula known to exist, and the center object may in fact be a binary star system. Though it is called a plantary nebula, it is in fact merely a star that is surrounded by a cocoon of gaseous particles that were thrown off during the later stages of stellar evolution.