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Eye-Like Helix Nebula Turns Blue in New Image
A combined image of the Helix Nebual from the Spitzer Space Telescope,the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE).. Credit: NASA/Caltech
The Helix Nebula has been called the “Eye of God,” or the “Eye of Sauron,” and there’s no denying this object appears to be a cosmic eye looking down on us all. And this new image – a combined view from Spitzer and GALEX — gives a blue tint to the eye that we’ve seen previously in gold, green and turquoise hues from other telescopes. But really, this eye is just a dying star. And it is not going down without a fight. The Helix Nebula continues to glow from the intense ultraviolet radiation being pumped out by the hot stellar core from the white dwarf star, which, by the way, is just a tiny white pinprick right at the center of the nebula.
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Read the rest of Eye-Like Helix Nebula Turns Blue in New Image (268 words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2012. | Permalink | 2 comments |
Post tags: GALEX, helix nebula, Spitzer Space Telescope, Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
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2012-10-05 01:32:37
Source: http://www.universetoday.com/97713/eye-like-helix-nebula-turns-blue-in-new-image/
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