In about 5 billion years, our Sun will run out of fuel and expand, possibly engulfing Earth. These end stages of a star’s life can be utterly beautiful as is the case with this planetary nebula called the Helix Nebula. Astronomers study these objects by looking at all kinds of light. This series of images shows X-rays from Chandra, optical light data from Hubble, infrared data from the European Southern Observatory VISTA telescope, and ultraviolet data from GALEX of the Helix Nebula. At the center of the Helix is a white dwarf, a small dim star that remains after the star shed its outer layers.

This artist's impression shows a planet (left) that has approached too close to a white dwarf (right) and been torn apart by tidal forces from the star. The white dwarf is in the center of a planetary nebula depicted by the blue gas in the background. The planet is part of a planetary system, which includes one planet in the upper left and another in the lower right. The besieged planet could have initially been a considerable distance from the white dwarf but then migrated inwards by interacting with the gravity of other planets in the system.

This tactile plate is a physical relief map based on the intensity of Chandra X-ray data along with optical, ultraviolet, and infrared data, featuring the Helix Nebula, a cloud of gas ejected by a dying star known as a white dwarf. In the plate, the shape of the cloud of gas strongly resembles a creature’s eye. Here, a hazy cloud is surrounded by undulating, concentric rings. Each ring appears dusted with sequins, particularly the outer edges of the eye-shape.

The entire image is speckled with raised dots. At the center of the hazy gas cloud, in a field of relative calm, lies a prominent dot, which represents the central white dwarf.

This tactile plate is a physical relief map based on the intensity of Chandra X-ray data along with optical, ultraviolet, and infrared data, featuring the Helix Nebula, a cloud of gas ejected by a dying star known as a white dwarf. In the plate, the shape of the cloud of gas strongly resembles a creature’s eye. Here, a hazy cloud is surrounded by undulating, concentric rings. Each ring appears dusted with sequins, particularly the outer edges of the eye-shape.

The entire image is speckled with raised dots. At the center of the hazy gas cloud, in a field of relative calm, lies a prominent dot, which represents the central white dwarf. An illustrated box surrounds the white dwarf, calling attention its location.