From the Hubble Space Telescope
NGC 2392 is known as the "Eskimo Nebula" because, as seen through ground-based telescopes, it resembles a face inside a furry parka. In the Hubble image , the "furry" features resemble giant comets all pointing away from the central star, like the spokes of a wheel. The clumps that form the comet heads all seem to be located at a similar distance from the star. This planetary nebula is produced by a dying star some 5000 light-years away.
Image Title: The Eskimo Nebula NGC 2392
based on press release for PHOTO NO.: STScI-PRC00-07
Back to planetary nebula index.
Last Modified On: Tuesday, December 19, 2000