Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Aquarius (Aqr)  ·  Contains:  Helix Nebula  ·  NGC 7293  ·  PK036-57.1
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NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula, Prabhakaran
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NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula

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NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula, Prabhakaran
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NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula

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NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula

A mere seven hundred light-years from Earth, toward the constellation Aquarius, a sun-like star is dying. Its last few thousand years have produced the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), a well-studied and nearby example of a Planetary Nebula, typical of this final phase of stellar evolution. Combining narrowband image data from emission lines of hydrogen atoms in red and oxygen atoms in blue-green hues, it shows remarkable details of the Helix's brighter inner region about 3 light-years across. The white dot at the Helix's center is this Planetary Nebula's hot, central star. A simple-looking nebula at first glance, the Helix is now understood to have a surprisingly complex geometry.

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NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula, Prabhakaran