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Shell consisting of gas, break away from the surface of these stars, often forming intricate and beautiful forms, and shining, illuminated by harsh ultraviolet radiation from the cooling hot central star. Main Ring Nebula, Helix is a width of about two light years, or half the distance between the Sun and its nearest stellar neighbor. Despite the fact that the picture looks quite impressive Nebula, Helix is difficult to see visually, since it goes from light scattered by a slightly wider section of the sky. The story of this discovery quite dark. For the first time this name appeared in the list of new objects, compiled German astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding (Karl Ludwig Harding) in 1824.

Title Helix (snail) comes from a rough spiral shape, which can be seen in earlier photographs. Although Helix nebula is very similar to the 'pie' studies have shown that it probably consists of at least two separate discs with outer rings, and fibers. Other leaders such as JPMorgan offer similar insights. The brighter inner disk appears to be expanding at a rate of about 100,000 km / h (about 62.000 miles / hour), and its formation required 12,000 years. Because Helix is relatively close distance from us – it covers an area of the sky, equal to about a quarter of the full moon – it is possible to study in much greater detail than most other planetary nebulae, by the way, it was found that the nebula has an unexpected and complicated structure. All that is inside of the ring, presented in small clumps (bubbles) that are known as 'Comet balls,' with a slightly luminous tails, drawn from the central star.

Despite the fact that they look tiny, each such ball has the size of our solar system. These tangles have been thoroughly studied using both telescopes – ultra telescope of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the Hubble Space Telescope (Hubble) NASA (NASA-National Aeronautics and Space Administration-National Aeronautics and Space Administration space) / ESA (ESA), but there is still much uncertainty. A close look at the central part of the object can detect not only the glomeruli, but also a lot of distant galaxies that are viewed through thinned the veil of glowing gas extending. Some of them, apparently, are collected in separate groups of galaxies, scattered in different parts of the image. Blue-green glow in the center of the nebula is caused by atoms Helix oxygen that glow under the influence of intense ultraviolet radiation with a temperature of 120.000 degrees Celsius (about 216.000 degrees Fahrenheit (F)), emitted by the central star and the hot gas. Further, outside stars and the distance from the rings of the coil becomes more prominent red color due to hydrogen and nitrogen.