NGC 7293 — The Helix Nebula
Captured with: Seestar S50 Smart Telescope
Distance: ~655 light-years
Constellation: Aquarius
Type: Planetary Nebula
Apparent Size: ~25 arcminutes
NGC 7293, the Helix Nebula, is one of the closest and most striking examples of a planetary nebula — the ghostly remains of a dying star much like our Sun. Around 10,000 years ago, the star shed its outer layers into space, leaving behind a dense white dwarf whose ultraviolet radiation now illuminates the expanding shell of gas.
Through the Seestar S50, the Helix appears as a vast eye staring back from the cosmos — a delicate ring of teal and crimson filaments surrounding a faint central star. The blue-green hues come from glowing oxygen, while the red edges mark hydrogen and nitrogen atoms excited by stellar radiation.
Often called the Eye of God, NGC 7293 reveals what awaits our own Sun in the far future. It is both beautiful and humbling — the final, gentle breath of a star returning its substance to the galaxy, ensuring that new worlds can one day form from its remains.