The Helix Nebula

Photographic Data: Meade 10 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope at f/10 on Losmandy G11 mount. Exposure: A composite of 50 and 60 minutes. Film: Hypered Kodak PJ400. Date: July 2, 2000.

This page was last updated on: November 20, 2002

(NGC 7293) - The Helix Nebula of the constellation Aquarius lies at a distance of only around 400 light years from us and is the second closest of all known planetary nebulae.  It appears quite large but very faint through a telescope, with an actual diameter  of approximately 1.5 light years.  It is the result of the death of a star much like our own sun.