APOD on Nostr: **Astronomy Picture of the Day** 24 October 2024 **NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula** ...
**Astronomy Picture of the Day**
24 October 2024
**NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula**
Image Credit & Copyright: Patrick Winkler
A mere seven hundred light years from Earth toward the constellation Aquarius, a star is dying. The once sun-like star's last few thousand years have produced the Helix Nebula. Also known as NGC 7293, the cosmic Helix is a well studied and nearby example of a Planetary Nebula, typical of this final phase of stellar evolution. Combining narrow band data from emission lines of hydrogen atoms in red and oxygen atoms in blue-green hues, this deep image shows tantalizing details of the Helix, including its bright inner region about 3 light-years across. The white dot at the Helix's center is this Planetary Nebula's hot, dying central star. A simple looking nebula at first glance, the Helix is now understood to have a surprisingly complex geometry.
#APOD #Astroeducation #Cosmology #Astrozone #Astrochemistry
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241024.html
24 October 2024
**NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula**
Image Credit & Copyright: Patrick Winkler
A mere seven hundred light years from Earth toward the constellation Aquarius, a star is dying. The once sun-like star's last few thousand years have produced the Helix Nebula. Also known as NGC 7293, the cosmic Helix is a well studied and nearby example of a Planetary Nebula, typical of this final phase of stellar evolution. Combining narrow band data from emission lines of hydrogen atoms in red and oxygen atoms in blue-green hues, this deep image shows tantalizing details of the Helix, including its bright inner region about 3 light-years across. The white dot at the Helix's center is this Planetary Nebula's hot, dying central star. A simple looking nebula at first glance, the Helix is now understood to have a surprisingly complex geometry.
#APOD #Astroeducation #Cosmology #Astrozone #Astrochemistry
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241024.html