Astronomers with the Gemini North Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii have released the first spectrum from a brand new spectrograph capable of peering deep into the veils of cosmic dust that line our universe.
The spectrum shows details of an expanding cloud of gas and dust that a sun-like star ejected at the end of its life. This cloud is known as a planetary nebula — perhaps a misleading name as it doesn't have anything to do with planets. More specifically, this nebula is formally called NGC 7027, or the Jewel Bug Nebula, and sits about 3,000 light years away from us in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan.
