News Release Archive: Nebula > Planetary
May 9, 2003 11:00 AM (EDT)
News Release Number: STScI-2003-11
Iridescent Glory of Nearby Planetary Nebula Showcased on Astronomy Day
Image: Comet-like Filaments Along the Inner Rim of the Helix Nebula's Gas Ring
STScI-PRC2003-11b
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ABOUT THIS IMAGE:
This cropped version of the Helix Nebula mosaic shows cometary-filaments embedded along a portion of the inner rim of the nebula's red and blue gas ring. At a distance of 650 light-years, the Helix is one of the nearest planetary nebulae to Earth.
The composite picture is a seamless blend of ultra-sharp NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys images combined with the wide view of the Mosaic Camera on the National Science Foundation's 0.9-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, near Tucson, Ariz. Astronomers at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) assembled the images into a mosaic. The mosaic was blended with a wider photograph taken by the Mosaic Camera.
Object Names: Helix Nebula, NGC 7293
Image Type: Astronomical
Credit: NASA, NOAO, ESA, the Hubble Helix Nebula Team, M. Meixner (STScI), and T.A. Rector (NRAO).
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