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                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    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

                         NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Patrick Winkler

   Explanation: 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.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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