Red cloud of dust with a bright white star in the center of it. Lots of reddish and orangish stars in the background.

C2 – Hubble Caldwell 2

This image of Caldwell 2 (C2) was taken in 1995 as part of a survey of nearby planetary nebulae. Astronomers used Hubble’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 to search for central stars that have close companion stars. These companion stars are helpful to astronomers because they can be used to determine the distance to planetary nebulae like C2.

Credits: NASA, ESA, and H. Bond (Pennsylvania State University); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)