Astronomy Picture of the Day

Explanation: Is the Helix Nebula looking at you?No, not in any biological sense, but it does look quite like an eye.The Helix Nebula is so named because it also appears that you are looking down the axis of a helix.In actuality, it is now understood to have a surprisinglycomplex geometry, including radial filaments and extended outer loops. The Helix Nebula (aka NGC 7293) is one of brightest and closest examples of aplanetary nebula, a gascloud created at the end of the life of a Sun-like star.The remnant central stellar core, destined to become a white dwarf star, glows in light soenergetic it causes the previously expelled gas to fluoresce.The featured picture, taken in red, green, and blue but highlighted by light emitted primarily by hydrogen was created from 12 hours of exposure through a personal telescope located in Greece. A close-up of theinner edge of the Helix Nebula shows complex gas knots the origin of which are still being researched.