This complex planetary nebula represents the final phase that a medium-sized star like our Sun will reach in billions of years. As the star nears the end of its life, it ejects its outer layers into space as it exhausts the fuel in its core, forming the twisted filaments you see in the process.

Don't let the names of planetesimals fool you: They are not actually connected to planets. When early astronomers examined these structures with their telescopes, they saw large, fuzzy shapes similar to planets, hence the name. This clear image was captured by a much more powerful telescope, the orbiting NASA Hubble Observatory.

Image description:

Photograph of the intricate threads of a planetary nebula. The image, dominated by blue and orange colours, resembles an intersecting diamond with an inverted ‘S’ shape. In the background are stars of different sizes.

I think it looks a bit like a dragon, too, if you look carefully. What do you think?