NGC 3132, also known as the Eight-burst or Southern Ring Nebula, is a bright and extensively studied planetary nebula in the constellation Vela.
NGC 3132 is a bright (mag 8) but small planetary nebula. At 0.8 arcmin, its footprint is only slightly larger than the planet Jupiter. The simple nebular oval evident to visual observers transforms into several superimposed glowing rings on long exposures - hence the popular name Eight-Burst Nebula.
Two stars - one of 10th magnitude, the other of 16th - can be seen lying close together (only 1.6" apart) at the center of the nebula. It's the dim star, not the bright one, whose multiple outbursts created the intricate, concentric structure of this odd but beautiful planetary nebula. The central star has now blown off its outer layers, and is now a hot white dwarf. The flood of intense ultraviolet radiation from its 100,000 K surface is what energizes the nebula and makes it fluoresce brightly.
At a distance of about 2000 light years, NGC 3132 is one of the nearest known planetary nebulae. It is almost half a light year in diameter, and its gases are expanding away from the central star at a speed of 24 km/sec. Neither the unusual shape of the surrounding cooler shell, nor the structure and placements of the cool filamentary dust lanes running across NGC 3132, are well understood.