Object Analysis

The Ghost of Jupiter (NGC 3242) is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Hydra. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1785. It is frequently called the Ghost of Jupiter because its apparent size in a telescope is similar to the planet Jupiter, though it is actually much larger and infinitely farther away.

Located about 1,400 light-years from Earth, the nebula is the cast-off outer layers of a dying star similar to our Sun. The central white dwarf is clearly visible in larger telescopes. The nebula has a double-shell structure: a bright, inner elliptical shell and a fainter, rounder outer halo.

Also known as the Eye Nebula, detailed images reveal two red "fliers"—jets of fast-moving gas—at the edges of the inner shell. These are likely caused by the interaction of the fast stellar wind with the slower-moving gas ejected earlier in the star's death throes.