Media Information
 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Title:
The Helix Nebula from CFHT
Explanation:
One day our Sun may look like this. The Helix Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] is the closest example of a planetary nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] created at the end of the life of a Sun-like star. The outer gasses of the star expelled into space [ http://www.seds.org…] appear from our vantage point as if we are looking down a helix [ http://mathworld.wo…]. The remnant central stellar core, destined to become a white dwarf star [ http://imagine.gsfc…], glows in light so energetic [ http://snoopy.gsfc.…] it causes the previously expelled gas to fluoresce [ http://www.explorat…]. The Helix Nebula [ http://www-personal…], given a technical designation of NGC 7293 [ http://www.seds.org…], lies 450 light-years [ http://chandra.harv…] away towards the constellation [ http://www.emufarm.…] of Aquarius [ http://www.astronom…] and spans 1.5 light-years. The above image was taken with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope [ http://www.cfht.haw…] (CFHT) located atop a dormant volcano in Hawaii [ http://www.state.hi…], USA. A close-up of the inner edge [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] of the Helix Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] shows unusual gas knots of unknown origin [ http://adsabs.harva…].
Credit and Copyright:
J.-C. Cuillandre [ mailto:jcc@cfht.hawa ii.edu ] (CFHT Staff [ http://www.cfht.haw…]), CFH12K CCD Camera [ http://www.cfht.haw…], CFHT [ http://www.cfht.haw…]
keyword:
planetary nebula
keyword:
Helix Nebula
keyword:
CFHT
facet_where:
Hawaii
facet_where:
Canada
facet_where:
France
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where:
Washington, D.C.
facet_what:
Sun
facet_what:
Aquarius
facet_what:
nebula
original url:
http://antwrp.gsfc.…
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap000828

The Helix Nebula from CFHT
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