NGC 7923. Also known as Caldwell 63. Best known as the Helix Nebula. Sometimes referred to as The Eye of God.
This planetary nebula is well-deserving of the dramatic nickname due to its beauty and shape. And God would get a pretty decent view of Earth anyhow, because of all the bright planetary nebula, the Helix Nebula is one of the closest to our planet- about 700 light-years away.
The Helix Nebula is located in the constellation Aquarius (...some say that the Age of Aquarius has dawned!). The very bright core we see in pictures is a nucleus that is to become a white dwarf star; it is so energetic that gases expelled around the area glow bright. In the attached image, this core is bright red from the infrared wavelength used for the picture. Around the core, the excitation temperature changes frequently in different areas. It is estimated that the age of the planetary nebula is about 10,600 years, give or take a couple thousand. In the helix there are also many "cometary knots"which are the result of an electric discharge phenomenon.
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