an expanding shell of gas surrounding a dying star, formed from matter ejected from the star's outer layers; the gas is ionized by the remaining hot stellar core, emitting light in the process
Word origin
C18: named from its (occasional) resemblance to a planetary disc
planetary nebula in American English
a glowing, expanding nebula that forms around a collapsing star
Word origin
from its resemblance, when viewed through a telescope, to a planet