Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Infrared Helix

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for September 1, 1997 is “Infrared Helix,” an image. It is credited to Credit: ESA/ISO, ISOCAM Team and P. Cox et al.. The original explanation runs about 159 words.

Infrared Helix
Credit: ESA/ISO, ISOCAM Team and P. Cox et al. Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Five hundred light years from Earth, in the constellation Aquarius , a sun-like star is dying. Its last few thousand years have produced the Helix , a well studied and nearby example of a Planetary Nebula – typical of this final phase of stellar evolution .”

— APOD editors, September 1, 1997

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
September 1, 1997
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: ESA/ISO, ISOCAM Team and P. Cox et al.
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 159 words

All of September 1997 → · 1997 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: September 1 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Electronics Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB Read astronomy and space-history books anywhere. View on Amazon → Electronics Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones Noise-cancelling headphones for documentaries and launch livestreams. View on Amazon →

Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.