NGC 2022 is a planetary nebula located in the constellation of Orion.Also known as PK 196-10 1 and IRAS 05393+0903, the nebula is 8,213 light-years away from Earth.The object was discovered on December 28, 1785 by the German-born British astronomer William Herschel.“This type of object is called, somewhat confusingly, a planetary nebula, though it has nothing to do with planets,” said members of the Hubble science team.“The name derives from the rounded, planet-like appearance of these objects in early telescopes.”“When stars like the Sun grow advanced in age, they expand and glow red,” they explained.“These so-called red giants then begin to lose their outer layers of material into space.”“More than half of such a star’s mass can be shed in this manner, forming a shell of surrounding gas.”“At the same time, the star’s core shrinks and grows hotter, emitting ultraviolet light that causes the expelled gases to glow.”