Eye of God

This shot is comprised of 3000 pictures totalling about 25 hours of total imaging time. The Helix Nebula is also known as the "Eye of God," is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Aquarius. It is relatively close distance of 650 light years away and is about 2.5 light years in diameter. This celestial object is the remnant of a dying star, similar to our Sun. As the star exhausted its nuclear fuel, it expelled its outer layers of gas into space. This expanding shell of gas is now illuminated by the intense ultraviolet radiation from the hot, dense core of the star, which has become a white dwarf.