Astronomy Picture Of The Day Explore the cosmos Every day, a new image or photograph of the fascinating universe is presented along with a short explanation by an astronomer. 2021 October 14
NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Ignacio Diaz Bobillo
Explanation: A few hundred light years away from Earth, in the constellation Aquarius is a star that looks like a sun. The Helix Nebula (NGC7293), which has been closely studied, is a good example of a Planetary Nebula. It's typical of the final phase in stellar evolution. This expansive view of the Nebula took 90 hours to create. It combines narrow band data from emission lines for hydrogen atoms with red hues and oxygen atoms with blue-green hues to show remarkable details of the Helix’s brighter inner regions, which is approximately 3 light-years across. This Planetary Nebula's central star is the white dot in the Helix's middle. The Helix, a simple-looking nebula, is now known to have complex geometry.
