Spanning about 2.8 lightyears wide, and at around 700 lightyears distant, the Helix Nebula is one of the closest nebulae to the Earth and is one of the most famous deep sky objects, discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding (a German astronomer notable for having discovered the asteroid 3 Juno) around 1824.
The Helix Nebula has sometimes been referred to as the ‘Eye of Sauron’, and is an example of a planetary nebula. The nucleus at the centre is destined to become a white dwarf star (the last observable stage of evolution for low- and medium-mass stars; they are the leftovers from brilliantly burning stars). The glow of the central star is so lively that it causes the previously expelled gases to shine brightly. It is a popular subject for amateur astronomers, and can be observed with binoculars as an eerie, greenish cloud residing in the Aquarius constellation.
This image is one of the largest and most detailed celestial images ever made – this is a composite image that blends ultra-sharp NASA Hubble Space Telescope photography with images taken from the Kitt Peak National Observatory.
The print offers a dizzying look down on what is actually a ten trillion-mile-long tunnel of glowing gases. Planetary nebulae are the remains of Sun-like stars, and so, in around five billion years, our own Sun may appear something like this from a distance. When that happens, Earth will be toast!
Pigment inks on 271gsm satin paper, professionally hand-bonded onto a 5mm cast acrylic panel. Currently available in four sizes:
- 48″ (w) × 30″ (h)
- 36″ (w) × 22.5″ (h)
- 24″ (w) × 15″ (h)
- 12″ (w) × 7.5″ (h)
Each acrylic print comes ready to hang.
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Credit: NASA, NOAO, ESA, the Hubble Helix Nebula Team, M. Meixner (STScI), and T.A. Rector (NRAO).
