                        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.

                                 2023 May 7
    A colorful circular nebula is shown that is beige in the center, red
     further out, and gas violet rings even further out. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                         The Helix Nebula from CFHT
    Image Credit: CFHT, Coelum, MegaCam, J.-C. Cuillandre (CFHT) & G. A.
                              Anselmi (Coelum)

   Explanation: 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 the Water Bearer (Aquarius) and spans
   about 2.5 light-years. The featured picture was taken with the
   Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) located atop a dormant volcano in
   Hawaii, USA. A close-up of the inner edge of the Helix Nebula shows
   complex gas knots of unknown origin.

                     Tomorrow's picture: dancing galaxy
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
                NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

