Telescope Captures 'Eye of God' in Space
AOL
(Feb. 26) - Astronomers
have taken a spectacular photo of a "cosmic eye" peering down from
space.
The object, nicknamed
the "Eye of God," is the Helix planetary nebula, a giant shell of gas given off
by a dying star, according to The Times of London. The nebula lies
700 light years away in the constellation Aquarius.
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ESO
41 photos
A telescope in
Chile captured this spectacular image of the Helix planetary nebula, nicknamed
the "Eye of God." The object lies 700 light years away in the constellation
Aquarius. The brilliant colors are created as a star releases gas and dust as it
dies into a white dwarf. Click through for other space
images.
Its brilliant colors
are created as gas released from the star's surface burst out and are
illuminated by ultraviolet light, according to The Register, an online technical
publication.
The image was captured
with a giant telescope at the European Southern Observatory in La Silla, Chile.
Although the Helix is
one of the closest planetary nebulae to Earth, it is difficult to spot because
its light fans over a wide area.