The Helix Nebula gets a new look in this Spitzer Space Telescope view released today.

This image, released today at the 207^th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington D.C., offers a new portrait of the Helix Nebula.

While named after its apparent coil structure, previous studies have shown it consists of two vast disks of gas arranged almost perpendicular to each other. The Helix Nebula sits about 650 light-years from Earth toward the constellation Aquarius.

The space-based Spitzer telescope shows phenomena known as “cometary knots,” thousands of lumpy blobs which – like comets – appear to have heads and long tails. Each knot, however, is much larger than an actual comet, with masses comparable to Earth and sizes about twice that of the Solar System.

In Spitzer’s new view, the cometary knots appear with blue-green heads and reddish tails. The blue hue is due to molecular hydrogen excited by ultraviolet radiation from stellar wind or the nebula’s central star, while the reddish tails indicate they have been relatively shielded due to their position behind the main body of knots

The image also details a trend for the Helix Nebula to become redder the farther out from its central star. The entire arrangement is constantly changing due to its hot stellar core, which will eventually destroy the eye-pleasing nebula.

-- SPACE.com Staff

Credit: NASA/JPL/CfA