NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory just wrapped up its first systematic survey of planetary nebulae within our solar neighborhood, and the results are absolutely beautiful.

In an article published in the August 2012 issue of The Astronomical Journal, researchers led by Joel Kastner and Rodolfo Montez Jr used Chandra to observe 21 planetary nebulae, all of which lie within about 5,000 light years of Earth.

The four nebulae (the Cat's Eye nebula [NGC 6543], NGC 6826, NGC 7662 and NGC 7009) composite images combine X-ray emissions collected by Chandra (colored in purple) with optical emissions gathered by Hubble Space Telescope (colored in red, green and blue).

See more: http://io9.com/5951020/nasa-releases-four-jaw+dropping-images-of-planetary-nebulae