Helix Nebula

space · nebula · dying stars

Looks like an eye. The Helix Nebula is shaped like a giant donut or ring of glowing gas, which is why some people call it the Eye of God. It's so close to Earth (as far as nebulae go) that telescopes can see it pretty clearly.

Made by dying stars. A planetary nebula forms when a star like our Sun gets really old and sheds its outer layers into space. The Helix Nebula is what's left behind after a star did exactly that.

655 light-years away. The Helix Nebula is 655 light-years from Earth, which means the light we see from it today started traveling toward us when people were living 655 years ago. Scientists measured this distance using the Gaia space telescope.

Found over 200 years ago. Karl Ludwig Harding discovered the Helix Nebula sometime before 1824, back when telescopes were much smaller than the ones we use today. It's amazing he could spot something so far away with such simple tools.

Cousin nebulae in space. The Helix Nebula looks similar to other famous nebulae like the Ring Nebula and the Cat's Eye Nebula. They're all about the same age and size, but the Helix looks different to us because of where we're viewing it from.