Discover the cosmos! [2] Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2003 May 10
NGC 7293: The Helix NebulaExplanation: Will our Sun [12] look like this one day? The Helix Nebula [13] is the closest example of a planetary nebula [14] created at the end of the life of a Sun-like star. The outer gasses of the star expelled into space [15] appear from our vantage point as if we are looking down a helix [16]. The remnant central stellar core, destined to become a white dwarf star [17], glows in light so energetic [18] it causes the previously expelled gas to fluoresce [19]. The Helix Nebula [20], given a technical designation of NGC 7293 [21], lies about 650 light-years [22] away towards the constellation [23] of Aquarius [24] and spans about 2.5 light-years. The above picture [25] is a composite [26] of newly released images from the ACS [27] instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope [28] and wide-angle images from the Mosaic Camera on the WIYN [4] 0.9-m Telescope [29] at Kitt Peak National Observatory [30]. A close-up [31] of the inner edge of the Helix Nebula [32] shows complex gas knots of unknown origin [33].
News: Today is Astronomy Day [34]!
Tomorrow's picture: Pinwheel South [35]
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [43] (MTU [44]) & Jerry Bonnell [45] (USRA [46])
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers [47]
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply [48].
A service of: LHEA [49] at NASA [3] / GSFC [50]
& Michigan Tech. U. [51]
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http://www.disclosureproject.com [56] TRUTH - EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
Links:
[1] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0305/helix03_hst_big.jpg
[2] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
[3] http://www.nasa.gov/
[4] http://www.noao.edu/wiyn/
[5] http://www.noao.edu/
[6] http://www.esa.int/
[7] http://www-int.stsci.edu/~mutchler/documents/AAS_2002_helix.pdf
[8] http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~meixner/meixner.html
[9] http://www.stsci.edu/institute/
[10] http://www.noao.edu/noao/staff/rector/
[11] http://www.nrao.edu/
[12] http://www.nineplanets.org/sol.html
[13] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000828.html
[14] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/planetary_nebulae.html
[15] http://www.seds.org/messier/planetar.html
[16] http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Helix.html
[17] http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l2/dwarfs.html
[18] http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/uv.html
[19] http://www.exploratorium.edu/xref/exhibits/fluorescent_tube.html
[20] http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/n7293.html
[21] http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~akspeck/evolved-stuff/nebulae/Helix/
[22] http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html
[23] http://www.emufarm.org/~cmbell/myth/myth.html
[24] http://www.astronomical.org/constellations/aqr.html
[25] http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/2003/11/
[26] http://archive.stsci.edu/hst/helix/
[27] http://acs.pha.jhu.edu/
[28] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010806.html
[29] http://www.noao.edu/dir/09m/description.html
[30] http://www.noao.edu/kpno/
[31] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020512.html
[32] http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/2003/11/fastfacts
[33] http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2002ApJ...573L..55H
[34] http://www.astroleague.org/al/astroday/astroday.html
[35] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030511.html
[36] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030509.html
[37] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
[38] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
[39] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
[40] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html
[41] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
[42] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
[43] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn.html
[44] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
[45] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
[46] http://www.usra.edu/
[47] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/nasawebstuff.html
[48] http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
[49] http://lhea.gsfc.nasa.gov/
[50] http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/
[51] http://www.mtu.edu/
[52] http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&username=questministries
[53] http://www.nationalwardogsmonument.org/
[54] http://realneo.us/content/quest-ministries-fund-raiser-tremont-anti-mob-vs-tremont-mob-theater-group-guy-activist-assa
[55] http://realneo.us/content/quest-ministries-anti-speciesism-fund-raising-click-anti-speciesism-go-fund-raiser
[56] http://www.disclosureproject.com/