This object is what we call a planetary nebula.

这个物体就是我们所说的行星状星云。

The glow in a planetary nebula is due to the hot central white dwarf exciting the gas.

行星状星云中的光芒是由中央炽热的白矮星激发气体产生的。

That usually happens when a gas cloud is expanding, like in a planetary nebula or supernova.

这通常发生在气体云膨胀时，比如行星状星云或超新星。

Will it, one day in the distant future be at the center of a planetary nebula it expels as it dies?

在遥远的未来的某一天，它会在死亡时被驱逐到行星状星云的中心吗？

Mind you, the gas in a planetary nebula is still expanding, cruising outward from its initial momentum of being thrown off the star.

请注意，行星状星云中的气体仍在膨胀，从最初被抛出恒星时的动量向外弥漫。

But these aren't just pretty pictures: the structure, color, and shape of a planetary nebula tells us about the life of the star that formed it.

行星状星云的结构、颜色和形状告诉了我们形成它的恒星的生命。

That takes a few thousand years, so when you see a planetary nebula you're seeing a very short snapshot of the life, the death, of a star.

这需要几千年的时间，所以当你看到行星状星云时，你看到的是恒星生命和死亡的非常短的快照。

What you're looking at is thousands of light years away, it's a planetary nebula, a giant cloud of gas that forms around an ancient star that hasn't yet exploded.

你正在看的是数千光年以外的一团行星状星云，是在尚未爆炸的古老恒星周围形成的巨大气体云。

When a medium-sized star dies, it blows off winds of gas, then lights them up as the white dwarf core of the star is revealed, creating a planetary nebula.

当一颗中等大小的恒星死亡时，它会吹出气体风，当恒星的白矮星核心显露出来时，气体风就会变得明亮起来，形成行星状星云。