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      Helix nebula, aka The Eye of God (SHO)
      Wallpaper author:
      Judith Prana

      24 Dec 2025

      Helix nebula, aka The Eye of God (SHO)

      The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) is a nearby planetary nebula in the constellation Aquarius, formed by a dying sun-like star shedding its outer layers, revealing a central white dwarf and creating a striking "Eye of God" appearance with glowing gas rings and comet-like filaments. Located about 650 light-years away, it's a popular target for astronomers, showing a complex 3D structure that resembles a tunnel or cylinder viewed end-on, with its vibrant colors representing elements like oxygen (blue) and hydrogen/nitrogen (red). Over 26 hours of narrowband data from the CHI-1 CMOS Telescope Live observatory in Chile. Pre and Post processed in Pixinsight, with final touches in Paintshop Pro for clarity and vibrancy.

      Dataset from which the image was processed

      NGC 7293

      13 credit

      Open
      Telescope Live
      CHI-1-CMOS
      • Type of target
        ............................................................................................................................
        Planetary Nebula
      • Camera
        ............................................................................................................................
        QHY 600M
      • Target coordinates
        ............................................................................................................................
        RA 337.4106 Dec -20.8372
      • Hemisphere
        ............................................................................................................................
        Southern
      • Telescope location
        ............................................................................................................................
        Chile
      • Transient event
        ............................................................................................................................
        No
      • Observed on
        ............................................................................................................................
        30 Jun 2023 - 19 Jul 2024
      Filter
      Avg Exp (s)
      Total Exposure
      Subframes
      Halpha80010h45
      Luminance1932h25m45
      Blue1732h10m45
      Green1642h44
      Red1642h44

      Helix nebula, aka The Eye of God (SHO)