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The Helix Nebula
Tri-color on Technical Pan film - 16" f/4.5 Newtonian telescope
The Helix Nebula is one of the most spectacular examples of planetary nebulae in the sky. This type of nebula is a star in the process of dying, but instead of collapsing on itself and exploding as a supernova, its mass and evolution dictates that it "break apart" more gently and slowly eject it's material in to space.
"Planetary nebulae" got their name because in the early days of astronomy they looked like planets through the small and crude telescopes of the times. |
