Post by glactus on May 29, 2011 2:32:55 GMT
The Helix nebula
The Helix Nebula is in the constellation of Aquarius, lies about 700 light-years from Earth and spans about 2.5 light-years across. Apparent magnitude is 13.6. Currently, the age is estimated to be 10,600 years
Discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding, probably before 1824, this remarkable object is one of the closest to the Earth of all the bright planetary nebulae and is an excellnt example of a planetary nebula formed at the end of a star's evolution.
The Helix in infra-red by the Spitzer space telescope
Gases from the star in the surrounding space appear, from our vantage point, as if we are looking down a helix structure. The remnant central stellar core, known as a nucleus is destined to become a white dwarf star. The observed glow of the central star is so energetic that it causes the previously expelled gases to brightly fluoresce.
To see video clip, click on the URL below. Has sound
www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0Q_vWNt2Ho
The Helix nebula
Credits: This is a NASA/Hubble image
text by Wikipedia
Movie clip by Youtube