1. NASA’s Helix Nebula photos are often dubbed the “Eye of God” due to the nebula’s striking resemblance to a human eye.
2. The images are a composite of data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope, combining visible and infrared light.
3. The Helix Nebula is a planetary nebula, formed from the outer layers of a dying star similar to our Sun, located about 650 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius.
4. The images reveal filaments of glowing gas, knots of dust, and a dense central core, showcasing the complex death of a star.
5. Different gases glow in different colors, hydrogen in red, oxygen in blue-green,offering clues about the nebula’s chemical composition.
6. The nebula's 3D structure is actually more like a donut, but it appears like an eye from Earth due to our viewing angle.
7. These high-resolution images help scientists study stellar evolution and how elements like carbon and oxygen are recycled into space.
