Why are stellar remnants called Planetary Nebulae despite having nothing to do with planets?

Answer

They resemble a faint, small, fuzzy disc when viewed through a telescope.

The term 'planetary nebula' is a historical misnomer that arose because of the visual limitations of early telescopic equipment. When astronomers observed these gaseous shells ejected by stars nearing the end of their life cycles (specifically stars similar in mass to our Sun), the resulting structure, viewed faintly through the eyepiece, often looked like a small, round, fuzzy planetary disc. Because this appearance was reminiscent of a planet viewed through a low-power scope, they were erroneously labeled 'planetary nebulae,' despite the fact that these objects are entirely composed of ejected stellar atmosphere and are fundamentally unrelated to actual planets in formation or orbit.

Why are stellar remnants called Planetary Nebulae despite having nothing to do with planets?

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