Comets Clash at Heart of Helix Nebula

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An infrared view of the Helix nebula. Image credit: NASAJPL-CaltechUniv.of Ariz.
An infrared view of the Helix nebula. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ.of Ariz.

A bunch of rowdy comets are colliding and kicking up dust around a dead star, according to new observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The dead star lies at the center of the much-photographed Helix nebula, a shimmering cloud of gas with an eerie resemblance to a giant eye.


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