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      Thor's Helmet (NGC 2359)
      Wallpaper author:
      Bob Schiff

      19 Aug 2025

      Thor's Helmet (NGC 2359)

      Thor’s Helmet is estimated to be 30 light-years in diameter - more than 10 times larger than our entire solar system. It is about 12,000 light-years away from Earth and is found in the constellation Canis Major. It contains several hundred solar masses, At its core is WR7, an extremely hot Wolf-Rayet star thought to be over 280,000 times brighter than our Sun and 16 times more massive. This star is in a pre-supernova stage and is shedding its outer layers, creating the nebula's bubble-like structure. Eventually, this star will explode in a fiery supernova event.


      Observatory location: Chile

      Telescope: Planewave CDK24

      Focal length: 396cm

      Aperture: 61cm

      Camera: QHY 600M


      Capture details:

      Astrodon Ha, Sii, Oiii narrowband filters

      Ha -2hrs 35min, Sii - 2hrs 35min, Oiii - 4hr 5min

      300sec subs

      Total exposure time: 9hrs 15min

      Dataset from which the image was processed

      NGC 2359

      6 credit

      Open
      Telescope Live
      CHI-1-CMOS

      Thor's Helmet (NGC 2359)