Jonathan Crowe

My Correct Views on Everything

The Helix Nebula in Infrared

Helix Nebula, ESO

Infrared astronomy is the bomb. Here’s an infrared look at the Helix Nebula, a planetary nebula some 700 light-years away — which is to say, not all that far as these things go — in the constellation Aquarius. This was taken by the VISTA telescope at the ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. Compare with how it looks in visible light: infrared brings out all kinds of interesting structure. Image credit: ESO/VISTA/J. Emerson; acknowledgment: Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit.