在这本书中，作者将研究行星状星云是什么，它们从哪里来，又将去向哪里。作者将讨论是什么机制导致了这些恒星消亡的美丽标记，以及是什么导致它们形成了各种各样的形状。作者还将探讨如何测量行星状星云的各个方面，例如其组成。尽管作者将对行星状星云进行某些方面的数学处理，但主要观点应该是那些只有有限的数学背景的让人容易理解的内容。本书的结尾部分附有一些简短的词汇表，在每章的末尾都包含了一个广泛的参考书目，作者特别鼓励有兴趣的读者更深入地了解这些文章。

杰森·J.西山，Jason Nishiyama is a Sessional Lecturer with the University ofLethbridge Calgary Campus and is the director of the RASCCalgary Centre's Wilson Coulee Observatory. He received his MScin Astronomy from the Swinburne University of Technology inMelbourne, Australia. His current research is in planetary nebulaemorphology. Jason lives in Calgary, Canada.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Author biography
1 Introduction
1.1 Planetary nebulae
1.2 Discovery and history
1.2.1 Initial discovery
1.2.2 Naming
1.2.3 The road to understanding
1.2.4 Origins and fate revealed
1.2.5 Methods of discovery
1.3 Components of planetary nebulae
1.3.1 Nebular envelope
1.3.2 Central star
References
2 Formation of planetary nebulae
2.1 Planetary nebulae as a stage in stellar evolution
2.1.1 Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
2.1.2 Stellar evolution--main sequence to the AGB
2.1.3 Evolution to the asymptotic giant branch
2.1.4 The asymptotic giant branch
2.1.5 Mass loss
2.2 Proto-planetary nebulae
2.2.1 Morphology
2.3 Progenitor masses
2.3.1 Calculation of white dwarf mass
2.3.2 Calculation of progenitor mass
2.3.3 Fate outside of the bounds
2.4 Post-planetary nebula
2.4.1 White dwarf physical characteristics
2.4.2 White dwarf observational and chemical characteristics
2.5 Interacting stellar winds
2.5.1 The model
2.5.2 Limitations of the model
References
3 Observational data of planetary nebulae
3.1 Chemical abundance
3.1.1 Observed abundance
3.1.2 Galactic chemical gradient
3.1.3 Galactic chemical enrichment
3.2 Distance determination
3.2.1 Difficulties in determining distance
3.2.2 Techniques for determining distance
References
4 Planetary nebula morphology
4.1 Classifying planetary nebulae
4.1.1 Chemical classification
4.1.2 Morphological classification
4.2 Morphology, classification and planetary nebulae evolution
4.2.1 Morphology and planetary nebulae abundance
4.2.2 Morphology and progenitor star mass
4.3 Explaining morphology
4.3.1 Round morphology
4.3.2 Elliptical morphology
4.3.3 Bipolar morphology
4.3.4 Point symmetric morphology
4.4 Concluding remarks
References
Glossary
Symbols
编辑手记