This is a list of protoplanetary nebulae. These objects represent the final stage before a planetary nebula. During this stage, the red giant star begins to slowly expel its outermost layers of material. A protoplanetary nebula usually glows by reflecting the light from its parent star. This stage is usually brief, typically lasting no more than a few thousand years.
| Image | Name | NGC | Other designation | Date discovered | Distance (ly) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boomerang Nebula | Centaurus Bipolar Nebula | About 5,000 | ||||
| Calabash Nebula | OH231.8+4.2 | About 4,200 | ||||
| Egg Nebula | CRL 2688 | 1996 | About 3,000 | |||
| Frosty Leo Nebula | IRAS 09371+1212 | About 3,000 | ||||
| Red Rectangle Nebula | HD 44179 | 1973 | 2,300 ± 300 | |||
| Cotton Candy Nebula | IRAS 17150-3224 | |||||
| Water lily nebula | IRAS 16594-4656 | |||||
| IRAS 22036+5306 | About 6,500 | |||||
| Westbrook Nebula | IRAS 04395+3601 | |||||
| IRAS 13208-6020 | ||||||
| IRAS 20068+4051 | ||||||
| LL Pegasi | IRAS 23166+1655 | |||||
| M1-92 | IRAS 19343+2926 | About 8000 | ||||
| IRAS 19024+0044 | 11 000 | |||||
| Minkowski's Butterfly | M2-9 | 2 100 | ||||
| Roberts 22 (MR 22) | AFGL 4104 |