PIA07902: Planetary Nebula NGC 7293 also Known as the Helix Nebula
This ultraviolet image from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer is of the planetary nebula NGC 7293 also known as the Helix Nebula.
 Target Name:  Helix Nebula
 Mission:  Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) 
 Spacecraft:  GALEX Orbiter
 Instrument:  GALEX Telescope 
 Product Size:  2448 x 1880 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  California Institute of Technology 
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA07902.tif (13.82 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA07902.jpg (579.5 kB)  

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

Ultraviolet image of the planetary nebula NGC 7293 also known as the Helix Nebula. It is the nearest example of what happens to a star, like our own Sun, as it approaches the end of its life when it runs out of fuel, expels gas outward and evolves into a much hotter, smaller and denser white dwarf star.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSC

Image Addition Date:
2005-05-05