... Around the center of the red galaxy image in the above photograph lie four blue "smudges." ... Shapley 1: An Annular Planetary Nebula . ... At that time, the center condenses into a white dwarf while the outer atmospheric layers are expelled into space and appear as a planetary nebula. ... After a Sun-like star can no longer support fusion in its core, the center condenses into a white dwarf while the outer atmospheric layers are expelled into space and appear as a planetary nebula. ...