NGC 3132 (also known as the Eight-Burst Nebula, the Southern Ring Nebula, or Caldwell 74) is a bright and extensively studied planetary nebula in the constellation Vela. Its distance from Earth is estimated at 613 pc or 2,000 light-years.
Our Place in Time. The observed distribution of galaxies suggests that our particular universe is located near the top of the egg at the point where matter begins to fall back on itself, thus explaining the reason why the galaxies to the north are seen to be moving away more rapidly as they are caught up in the downturn of the stream of matter towards the far end of the cosmic egg( see Exhibit 5, next page).