Astronomy Picture of the Day · September 4, 2008

Spokes in the Helix Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for September 4, 2008 is “Spokes in the Helix Nebula,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Credit & Copyright: Don Goldman , Sierra Remote Observatories). The original explanation runs about 143 words.

From the explanation

“At first glance, the Helix Nebula ( aka NGC 7293 ), looks simple and round. But this well-studied example of a planetary nebula , produced near the end of the life of a sun-like star, is now understood to have a surprisingly complex geometry .”

— APOD editors, September 4, 2008

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: September 4, 2008
Type: Image
Credit: Credit & Copyright: Don Goldman , Sierra Remote Observatories
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 143 words

All of September 2008 → · 2008 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 4 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, September 4, 2008 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2008-september-4-spokes-in-the-helix-nebula

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.