Stellar winds hint at how planetary nebulae get their stunning shapes
Red giant stars reveal that planets or even other stars may influence the shells of gas and dust
![NGC 6302 planetary nebula](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/091720_cs_stellar-winds_feat.jpg?fit=1028%2C579&ssl=1)
As some stars die, they form fantastically shaped clouds of dust and gas known as planetary nebulae (NGC 6302, also known as the Butterfly Nebula, shown). A new study hints at how these nebulae form.
Hubble/NASA and ESA