IC 418 spans 0.3 light-years across. IC 418 IC 418, also known as Spirograph Nebula, is a planetary nebula in the Milky Way Galaxy. The name derives from the intricate pattern of the nebula, which resembles a pattern which can be created using the Spirograph, a toy that produces geometric patterns (specifically, hypotrochoids and epitrochoids) on paper. Only a few million years ago, IC 418 was probably a common red giant star. Since running out of nuclear fuel, though, the outer envelope has begun expanding outward leaving a hot remnant core destined to become a white dwarf star. IC 418 lies about
Engineering drawing as having a true round hole, as long as the label says "10mm DIA", because the "DIA" implicitly but objectively tells the user that the skewed drawn circle is a symbol "representing" a perfect circle.) But if a mathematical model—essentially, a vector graphic—is declared to be the official definition of the part, then any amount of "scaling the drawing" can make sense; there may still be an error in the model, in the sense that what was "intended" is not "depicted" (modeled); but there can be no error of the "not to scale" type—because the mathematical vectors and curves are