NGC 3242 (also known as the Ghost of Jupiter, Eye Nebula or Caldwell 59) is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Hydra.
Ford died on December 26, 2006, at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, of arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease and diffuse arteriosclerosis.
The nebula measures around two light years long from end to end, and contains a central white dwarf with an apparent magnitude of 11.