Optical and X-ray view of the Helix Nebula
Minimum credit line: Image courtesy of Marco Iacobelli (XMM-Newton SOC) and ESA. (for details, see Conditions of Use).
Credit: ESA/XMM-Newton, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
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| About this Image |
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This composite optical (DSS) and X-ray (XMM-Newton EPIC) view depicts the Helix Nebula (also known as The Helix or NGC 7293), a large planetary nebula and one of the closest to the Earth at a distance of about 700 light-years. The central stellar core remnant, known as planetary nebula nucleus, is a compact star (the X-ray bright source clearly visible at the center of the nebula); gases from the outer layers of the star ejected in the surrounding space are heated by the hot core of the dead star, and shine in different wavelenght bands ranging from the infrared to the optical. X-ray emission is colour coded as: red=0.3-1 keV, green=1-2 keV, blue=2-8 keV. Several point-like sources with different spectral properties fill the field of view.
| For More Information |
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- Detailed description of this image
- Query XSA archive for XMM-Newton data in the field of NGC 7293
- Astronomical database entries for NGC 7293;
- Query NED for more images about NGC 7293
- Query SIMBAD for more NGC 7293 data
- For unfamiliar terms, visit the XMM-Newton Astronomical Glossary
| Alternate Resolutions | (Help) |
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