Comet-like Knots Discovered Near Dying Star in Helix Nebula
The Helix Nebula is the nearest example of a planetary nebula, formed when a star similar to our Sun reaches the end of its life and its outer layers are expelled into space. The combination of visible and infrared data from NASA's Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes has captured the nebula in unprecedented detail, showcasing its vibrant colors and eerie eye-like appearance.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has made a remarkable discovery of thousands of "cometary knots" surrounding a dying star in the Helix Nebula, a planetary nebula located 450 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius. These knots, which resemble comets, are formed when the star spews hot, lower-density gas that collides with cooler, higher-density gas, creating tadpole-like shapes.
Each knot is at least twice the size of our solar system, with tails stretching 100 billion miles. The discovery was made by Hubble astronomer C. Robert O'Dell and graduate student Kerry P. Handron of Rice University. The Helix Nebula, a cosmic starlet, is a planetary nebula that showcases its vibrant colors and eerie eye-like appearance in images captured by various NASA space telescopes.
In a related development, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has also captured images of Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9, which is on a collision course with Jupiter. The comet was torn into numerous pieces by Jupiter's gravitational pull in 1992, and the fragments are expected to hit Jupiter in July 1994, with an energy release many times that of nuclear warheads. Hubble has been monitoring the comet's approach to Jupiter and has taken new images using its improved optics.
The study of comets and planetary nebulas like the Helix Nebula provides valuable insights into the formation and evolution of our solar system. The discovery of cometary knots in the Helix Nebula is a significant finding that sheds light on the complex processes that occur in the final stages of a star's life.