HubbleMinute: Helix Nebula

Iridescent Glory of Nearby Helix Nebula

In one of the largest and most detailed celestial images ever made, the coil-shaped Helix Nebula is being unveiled tomorrow in celebration of Astronomy Day (Saturday, May 10). The composite picture is a seamless blend of ultra-sharp NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images...

Comet-like Filaments Along the Inner Rim of the Helix Nebula's Gas Ring

This cropped version of the Helix Nebula mosaic shows cometary-filaments embedded along a portion of the inner rim of the nebula's red and blue gas ring. At a distance of 650 light-years, the Helix is one of the nearest planetary nebulae to Earth. The composite picture is a...

A Nebula Knot Formation Scenario

Location of Detail and ACS Exposures on Full Image

Location of the Helix Nebula in the Constellation Aquarius

Close-Up of the Helix Nebula

Close-Up of the Helix Nebula

Close-Up of the Helix Nebula

Close-Up of the Helix Nebula

Helix 3-D Animation

Animation highlighting the morphology of the Helix planetary nebula and the creation of planetary knots.

Constructing the Helix Nebula Mosaic

A mosaic tile build up of the nine images of the Helix Nebula taken by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. The resulting composite picture is a seamless blend of the ultra-sharp NASA Hubble Space Telescope images combined with the wider view of the Mosaic Camera on the...

Move across Helix Nebula

A counterclockwise zoom and rotation sequence of the Helix Nebula. The Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys image of the Helix Nebula reveals thousands of comet-like filaments embedded along the inner rim of the nebula that point back towards the central star.

Interview with C. Robert O'Dell: Part 1

Interview segments with C. Robert O'Dell, Astrophysicist at Vanderbilt University. Clips reference the unexpected result of cometary knots and how the material within the Helix Nebula can be studied because it is one of the closest planetary nebulae to us.

Interview with C. Robert O'Dell: Part 2

Interview segments with C. Robert O'Dell, Astrophysicist at Vanderbilt University. Clips reference the unexpected result of cometary knots and how the material within the Helix Nebula can be studied because it is one of the closest planetary nebulae to us.

Interview with Margaret Meixner: Part 1

Interview segments with Margaret Meixner, Astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute. Clips reference how planetary nebulae and cometary knots are formed.

Interview with Margaret Meixner: Part 2

Interview segments with Margaret Meixner, Astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute. Clips reference how planetary nebulae and cometary knots are formed.