Helix Nebula – Unraveling at the Seams

This image of a dying star throwing a cosmic tantrum combines observations from three space telescopes – Spitzer, GALEX (the Galaxy Evolution Explorer), and WISE (the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer). The Helix nebula, 650 light-years away in the constellation of Aquarius, is typical of a class of objects called planetary nebulae. Discovered in the 18th century, these cosmic works of art were erroneously named for their resemblance to gas-giant planets, but are actually the remains of stars that once resembled our Sun. After they burn through their fuel, these stars die, puffing off their outer gaseous layers and leaving behind the tiny, hot, dense core called a white dwarf. Intense ultraviolet radiation from the white dwarf heats up the expelled layers of gas, which shine brightly in the infrared. GALEX captured the ultraviolet light pouring out of this system, shown throughout the nebula in blue, Spitzer recorded the infrared signature of the dust and gas, colored yellow, and WISE captured the extended field beyond the nebula in infrared, shown here in green and red. The white dwarf star itself is a tiny white pinprick right at the center of the nebula.