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Template:POTD/2007-06-06
Picture of the day archives
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2007 June
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Picture of the day
A
visible light
image of the
Helix Nebula
, one of the closest
planetary nebulae
(about
650
light-years
away) to
Earth
, located in the
constellation
Aquarius
. It was discovered by
Karl Ludwig Harding
before 1824 and was created at the end of the life of a
Sun-like star
. The outer gases of the star expelled into space appear from our
vantage point
as if we are looking down a
helix
. The remnant central stellar core, destined to become a
white dwarf
star, glows in light so energetic that it causes the previously expelled gas to
fluoresce
.
Photo credit:
Hubble Space Telescope
and Mosaic II Camera,
CTIO
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