Helix Nebula - Our Future In 5 Billion Years Postcard

Helix Nebula - Our Future In 5 Billion Years The nebula, located about 700 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius, belongs to a class of objects called planetary nebulae. Discovered in the 18th century, these colourful beauties were named for their resemblance to gas-giant planets like Jupiter. Planetary nebulae are the remains of stars that once looked a lot like our sun. When sun-like stars die, they puff out their outer gaseous layers. These layers are heated by the hot core of the dead star, called a white dwarf, and shine with infrared and visible colours. Our own sun will blossom into a planetary nebula when it dies in about five billion years. Text edited from Nasa.