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About the Image
- Date
- 2007-08-24
- ID
- sig07-016
- Type
- Observation
- Credit
- NASA/JPL-Caltech/ J. Hora (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
About the Object
- Name
- Helix Nebula • NGC 7293
- Type
- Nebula > Type > Planetary
- Distance
- 650 Light Years
Color Mapping
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
Infrared | 3.6 µm | Spitzer IRAC |
Infrared | 4.5 µm | Spitzer IRAC |
Infrared | 8.0 µm | Spitzer IRAC |
Astrometrics
- Position (J2000)
- RA = 22h 29m 40.5s
- Dec = -20° 49' 49.7"
- Field of View
- 29.1 x 27.1 arcminutes
- Orientation
- North is 64.9° right of vertical
- Constellation
- Aquarius
Spitzer Celebrates Fourth Anniversary with Celestial Fireworks
A newly expanded image of the Helix nebula lends a festive touch to the fourth anniversary of the launch of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. This spectacular object, a dying star unraveling into space, is a favorite of amateur and professional astronomers alike. Spitzer has mapped the expansive outer structure of the six-light-year-wide nebula, and probed the inner region around the central dead star to reveal what appears to be a planetary system that survived the star's chaotic death throes.
Related Media
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Feature Article Spitzer Celebrates Fourth Anniversary with Celestial Fireworks feature07-13 |
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Image Spitzer Celebrates Fourth Anniversary with Celestial Fireworks sig07-016 |
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Video Helix Nebula (Gallery Explorer) hiddenuniverse012 |