This is a large planetary nebula near Aquarius and Capricornus. The Helix is very large, about half the size of the full moon but it is very dim. The name comes from the apparent structure of the object. A close look seems to reveal a helical shape. Studies now show that what we are seeing is two "rings" seen from not quite end on. The rings overlap and look like a helix. If we were looking directly end on I think this would look like a large M 57, the Ring Nebula in Lyra. This shot was 1 hour at the prime focus of my 4" f6 refractor using Fuji Superia 800 X-tra film. |