[NASA] APOD: August 4, 2026 – Curious Cometary Knots in the Helix Nebula

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APOD

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3. APOD: August 4, 2026 –…

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APOD

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Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

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Curious Cometary Knots in the Helix Nebula

What causes unusual knots of gas and dust in 

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? Seen also in the 

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, the 

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 and 

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, the knots’ existence was not initially predicted, and their origins are still 

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. Pictured 

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 is a fascinating image of 

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 of the 

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 by the 

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 showing tremendous detail in 

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. The cometary knots have masses similar to the 

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 but have sizes typically several times the orbit of Pluto. 

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 for the fragmentation and evolution of the knots includes existing gas being 

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 by a less dense but highly energetic 

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 of the central evolving star. The 

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 is one of the closest examples of a 

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 created at the end of the 

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. Given a technical designation of NGC 7293, the 

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 lies about 650 

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s away towards the constellation of Water Carrier (

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).

Date	August 4, 2026
Credit	Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
Authors & editors:	Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Keighley Rockcliffe
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