NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has delivered its most detailed infrared image yet of the Helix Nebula, providing an extraordinary glimpse into the last stages of a star's life. Situated about 650 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius, the Helix Nebula is one of the closest and most studied planetary nebulas in the night sky.
Webb's powerful optics have now revealed fine structures within the gas and dust that were previously hidden from astronomers. It's near-infrared view focuses on a small portion of the nebula's inner shell, highlighting dramatic features such as comet-like knots and intricate layers of material expelled by the dying star, giving astronomers a new perspective of how fierce stellar winds from the central star interact with earlier layers of shed gas sculpt its remarkable and complex shape.
