home

NGC 7293, the Helix Nebula

NGC 7293, the Helix Nebula
Date taken Wed May 16 2012 Authorship NASA's JPL centre Keywords & Keyphrases Helix Nebula · Galaxy Evolution Explorer GALEX Metadata JSON

Behind the image

NGC 7293, better known as the Helix nebula, displays its ultraviolet glow courtesy of NASA GALEX. The Helix is the nearest example of a planetary nebula, which is the eventual fate of a star, like our own Sun, as it approaches the end of its life.