NGC 7662, the Blue Snowball nebula, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Andromeda. (Planetary nebulae are glowing clouds of gas and plasma formed by some stars when they die.) Although it appears small on the sky, presenting about the same visual width as Jupiter, it is one of the few deep-sky objects to show color when viewed through modestly sized telescopes, giving rise to its popular name. Parts of a faint outer shell are barely visible surrounding the main nebula in this image.

For a description of the process that forms planetary nebulae, see the Dumbbell Nebula.

120 minutes L and 120 minutes RGB on 2015-12-05 using a QSI 583 from northern New Jersey through an Astro-Physics 155mm refractor at f13.3. North is up. ©2015