The optical expansion parallax of NGC 6543 has been detected and measured using two epochs of HST images separated by a time baseline of only three years .
We have utilized three separate methods of deriving the angular expansion of bright fiducials , the results of which are in excellent agreement .
We combine our angular expansion estimates with spectroscopically obtained expansion velocities to derive a distance to NGC 6543 of 1001 \pm 269 pc .
The deduced kinematic age of the inner bright core of the nebula is 1039 \pm 259 years ; however , the kinematic age of the polar caps that surround the core is larger - perhaps the result of deceleration or earlier mass ejection .
The morphology and expansion patterns of NGC 6543 provide insight into a complex history of axisymmetric , interacting stellar mass ejections .