Emerging Planetary Nebula CRL 618

Explanation: CRL 618 may look to some like an Olympian declaring victory. Only a few hundred years ago, however, CRL 618 appeared as a relatively modest red giant star . Since then it has run out of core material to fuse and so has started to become a planetary nebula . In its current proto-planetary nebula phase, CRL 618 is evolving quickly, expelling hot gasses in complex jets and rings moving outwards faster than 700,000 kilometers per hour. In a few thousand years, the glowing core of the cool red giant will be bare, revealing a hot white dwarf star . Much remains unknown about planetary nebulae formation, including details of how geometries like this form. Perhaps one day some part of this nebula will be able to declare victory - CRL 618 has an extraordinary abundance of carbon-chain molecules .