NGC 2359: Thor's Helmet (Picture of the Day)

NGC 2359 - Thor's Helmet
NGC 2359, also known as 'Thor's Helmet' is an emission nebula found in the constellation of Canis Major. It is 30 light years in diameter and is approximately 15,000 light years away from us. It has interacted with its neighboring molecular cloud forming this nebula's unique and intricate shape which supposedly looks like Thor's Helmet. The helmet is like an interstellar bubble which is blown as a fast wind by the bright and massive star at the center, Wolf-Rayet. This star is thought to be a giant and young which exists in its pre-supernova stage of its evolution.

Source 1
Source 2



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