"The Helix Nebula is one of the most well-known and commonly photographed planetary nebulae because it resembles the " Eye of Sauron." It is also one of the closest bright nebulae to Earth, located approximately 655 light-years from our Solar System. You may not know what this particular nebula looks like when reading its name, but the Hubble Space Telescope has taken some iconic images of it over the years. And almost certainly, you'll recognize a photograph of the Helix Nebula, shown below."
"Like many objects in astronomy, planetary nebulae have a confusing name, since they are formed not by planets but by stars like our own Sun, though a little larger. Near the end of their lives, these stars shed large amounts of gas in an expanding shell that, however briefly in cosmological time, put on a grand show. Now the James Webb Space Telescope has turned its sights on the Helix Nebula, and, oh my, does it have a story to tell."
The Helix Nebula resembles the Eye of Sauron and lies about 655 light-years from the Solar System. The nebula ranks among the most commonly photographed planetary nebulae and has iconic Hubble Space Telescope imagery. Planetary nebulae form when stars slightly larger than the Sun shed large amounts of gas near the ends of their lives. Those stars expel gas into an expanding shell that briefly creates striking visible structures. The James Webb Space Telescope captured new images showing vibrant pillars of gas along the nebula's inner expanding shell, with NASA releasing the images on Tuesday.
Read at Ars Technica
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