NGC 7293 (Helix Nebula)

Are we alone in this sea of stars we call the Universe, or is there a grand architect whose watchful eye is upon His creations? These are questions for the ages, likely asked from the beginning of time by each inhabitant of earth at some point or another. If we embrace the former, this universe can end up appearing a potentially cold, uninviting, unforgiving chasm of space. If we hold to the later we are filled with a sense of wonder, as well as gratitude for the breadth of God’s creations. Surely some things simply cannot be quantified by the scientific process. They have to do with the “whys” in our life. Allen Sandage, an assistant to Edwin Hubble, expressed it this way, “Science . . . is concerned with the what, when, and how. It does not, and indeed cannot, answer within its method (powerful as that method is), why” (“A Scientist Reflects on Religious Belief,” Truth Journal, Internet edition, vol. 1[985]

The feelings this writer experiences when looking into the heavens and feeling a connection with the Author of it all will never be able to be measured. Perhaps one can relate to Immanuel Kant’s expression when he said, “Two things fill me with constantly increasing admiration and awe, the longer and more earnestly I reflect on them; the starry heavens without and the Moral Law within”

It is images such as the one above, NGC 7293, also referred to by some as “The Eye of God”, that invite us to reflect upon such questions. The “Helix Nebula” is one of the closest planetary nebulas to our solar system, lying some 700 light years away in the constellation Aquarius. While it is called a planetary nebula, it really has nothing to do with a planet. This beautiful shell of gas has been shed by the solitary star found at the core of the nebula. Once a bloated Red Giant, now it is shedding its outer layers and moving towards its ultimate fate as a white dwarf. This dwarf star is giving off enough energy to radiate the clouds seen in the image. This energy is also illuminating about 20,000 gaseous knots that can be seen extending radially from the core of the nebula. These knots are described as cometary and possess bright cusps that are photo-ionization fronts. The head of each of these knots is approximately the size of our solar system. We believe stars such as our own sun will follow a similar path towards a planetary nebula billions of years in the future, while larger stars, greater than 8 solar masses, will end their lives with a much bigger splash, exploding in a cataclysmic supernova.

Obviously, there is plenty of time before we need concern ourselves with the fate of our own Star…plenty of time to reflect upon the “starry heavens without and the moral law within.”

(Image chosen as Astronomy Magazine Picture of the Day, November, 2008)

Image acquisition info:
Location: Starlodge Observatory
Date: September 2008
Telescope: Planewave CDK 12.5
Camera: SBIG STL 11000
LRGB 210:90:90:90