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                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                  2024 October 24   
      
                            NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula   
                     Image Credit & Copyright: Patrick Winkler   
      
      Explanation: A mere seven hundred light years from Earth toward the   
      constellation Aquarius, a star is dying. The once sun-like star's last   
      few thousand years have produced the Helix Nebula. Also known as NGC   
      7293, the cosmic Helix is a well studied and nearby example of a   
      Planetary Nebula, typical of this final phase of stellar evolution.   
      Combining narrow band data from emission lines of hydrogen atoms in red   
      and oxygen atoms in blue-green hues, this deep image shows tantalizing   
      details of the Helix, including its bright inner region about 3   
      light-years across. The white dot at the Helix's center is this   
      Planetary Nebula's hot, dying central star. A simple looking nebula at   
      first glance, the Helix is now understood to have a surprisingly   
      complex geometry.   
      
                        Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space   
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          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
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