Description:
RCW 100 (PK 329+02.1) is a faint southern planetary nebula located in the dense star fields of the Milky Way. Formed from the dying outer layers of a Sun-like star, it appears as a delicate shell of ionized gas glowing under intense ultraviolet radiation from its central white dwarf.
PK 329+01.1 lies nearby along the Galactic plane and is another evolved planetary nebula embedded in a crowded region of gas and stars. Its compact appearance masks a violent past, when the progenitor star expelled its outer atmosphere into space during the final stages of its life.