This beauty is planetary nebula IC 418, also known as the Spirograph nebula for its intricate patterns. It is over 4,000 light-years away in the constellation Lepus the Hare. IC 418 has a long history of observations. Recently, astronomers analyzed data taken over the past 130 years. They found its central star is heating up faster than any star ever observed. However, that rate of increase in temperature is still slower than that predicted by late stellar evolution models. Image via NASA/ Th...
