Webb’s Lava-Lamp View of the Eye of God: Helix Nebula Revealed
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have released a highly detailed infrared image of the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), a nearby planetary nebula nicknamed the Eye of God. The image shows hot gas winds from a dying star colliding with older shells of gas and dust, revealing comet-like knots and layered structures, and offering a glimpse of our Sun’s distant future as well as the potential for planet formation in the surrounding dust.