Αριθμός μηνυμάτων : 8056 Registration date : 10/07/2008
Θέμα: Nebulas : Helix from La Silla Observatory 04.03.09 17:41
Helix Nebula from La Silla Observatory
Will our Sun look like this one day? The Helix Nebula is one of brightest and closest examples of a planetary nebula, a gas cloud created at the end of the life of a Sun-like star.
The outer gasses of the star expelled into space appear from our vantage point as if we are looking down a helix. The remnant central stellar core, destined to become a white dwarf star, glows in light so energetic it causes the previously expelled gas to fluoresce.
The Helix Nebula, given a technical designation of NGC 7293, lies about 700 light-years away towards the constellation of Aquarius and spans about 2.5 light-years.
The above picture was taken by the Wide Field Imager on the 2.2-meter Telescope at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory. A close-up of the inner edge of the Helix Nebula shows complex gas knots of unknown origin.
Credit: WFI, MPG/ESO 2.2-m Telescope, La Silla Obs., ESO
