Cosmic Knots

The Helix Nebula, a planetary nebula about 650 light-years away, is home to mysterious cometary knots of gas and dust. The James Webb Space Telescope captured a detailed image of these knots in infrared light.

The knots have masses similar to Earth but are several times the size of Pluto's orbit. One hypothesis for their formation is that they are created by a stellar wind driving out existing gas. The Helix Nebula is one of the closest examples of a planetary nebula, formed at the end of a Sun-like star's life.

The image was processed by Alyssa Pagan (STScI) and is courtesy of NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI. The authors and editors of this article include Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, and Keighley Rockcliffe.