APOD 3.6

The Dust and Helix Nebula has a truly amazing appearance. It is only 700 light years away in the constellation Aquarius. The cloud of dust and gas around a central white dwarf is an excellent example of a planetary nebula. The infrared radiation emits from the nebula making the pattern that appears to be an eye. This is what you get after a Star goes nova. The smoke after the Explosion is just as beautiful as the Explosion itself.