Spitzer Celebrates Fourth Anniversary with Celestial Fireworks
spitzer_sig07-016
August 24, 2007
Creator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA
Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/2115-sig07-016-Spitzer-Celebrates-Fourth-Anniversary-with-Celestial-Fireworks
A newly expanded image of the Helix nebula lends a festive touch to the fourth anniversary of the launch of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. This spectacular object, a dying star unraveling into space, is a favorite of amateur and professional astronomers alike. Spitzer has mapped the expansive outer structure of the six-light-year-wide nebula, and probed the inner region around the central dead star to reveal what appears to be a planetary system that survived the star's chaotic death throes.
Image Use Policy: Public Domain
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Image Details
- Image Type
- Observation
- Object Name
- Helix Nebula • NGC 7293
- Subject - Milky Way
- Nebula » Type » Planetary
Position Details
- Position (ICRS)
- RA = 22h 29m 40.5s
- DEC = -20° 49’ 49.7”
- Orientation
- North is 64.9° CW
- Field of View
- 29.1 x 27.1 arcminutes
- Constellation
- Aquarius
Color Mapping
| Telescope | Spectral Band | Wavelength | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Spitzer (IRAC) | Infrared (Near-IR) | 3.6 µm |
|
Spitzer (IRAC) | Infrared (Near-IR) | 4.5 µm |
|
Spitzer (IRAC) | Infrared (Mid-IR) | 8.0 µm |
