Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2024 October 24
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                         NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula
               Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Patrick Winkler

   Explanation: A mere seven hundred light years from Earth toward the
   constellation [5]Aquarius, a star is dying. The once sun-like star's
   last few thousand years have produced the [6]Helix Nebula. Also known
   as NGC 7293, the cosmic Helix is a well studied and nearby example of a
   [7]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
   [8]details of the Helix, including its bright [9]inner region about 3
   light-years across. The white dot at the Helix's center is this
   Planetary Nebula's hot, dying [10]central star. A simple looking nebula
   at first glance, the Helix is now understood to have a surprisingly
   [11]complex geometry.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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    Authors & editors: [23]Robert Nemiroff ([24]MTU) & [25]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([26]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [27]Specific rights apply.
              [28]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [29]ASD at [30]NASA / [31]GSFC,
                         [32]NASA Science Activation
                           & [33]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2410/NGC7293_preview.png
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. http://www.celestialobjects.net/contact/
   5. http://hawastsoc.org/deepsky/aqr/index.html
   6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helix_Nebula
   7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_nebula
   8. https://stsci-opo.org/STScI-01EVT8HWJ754VADGE57NY9VWXP.jpg
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030510.html
  10. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2003/11/1317-Image.html
  11. https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2004/news-2004-32.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241023.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  16. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  21. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=241024
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241025.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  26. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  29. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  32. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  33. http://www.mtu.edu/