NGC 7293 - also known as the Helix Nebula. (Also known as "The Eye of God")
This nebula consists of the gaseous remnants of the outer layers of a star blown away as it convulsed and collapsed at the end of its nuclear-burning life. This type of nebula is quite common and is known as a "planetary nebula" because it could quite easily be mistaken by an uninformed observer as a planet due to its round shape and apparent size. The remaining core of the original star shines in the center of the nebula and is a planet-sized white dwarf which was probably similar in size to our sun during its nuclear-burning lifetime. NGC 7293 lies at a distance of approximately 650 light years from Earth and is situated in the constellation of Aquarius.

Image capture and processing information:

Date/Location: September 15, 2007 Lake Sonoma, Sonoma County, California
Instrument: SBIG ST-2000XCM through a Celestron CM-1100 Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector using an Optec NextGEN WideField 0.50X (NGW) Telecompressor
Focal Ratio: f5.0
Guiding: Self-Guiding camera
Conditions: Visually clear but hazy
Weather: 54 F, moderate breeze
Exposure: 10 minute single exposure
Processing: Focused and captured with CCDOPS. Image processed using CCDOPS and Adobe Photoshop CS2