The Helix Nebula is a striking example of a planetary nebula, created by a star with intermediate to low mass as it nears the end of its life cycle. During this stage, the star ejects its outer layers, which form a cloud of gas in the surrounding space. From our perspective, these gases appear as if they form a helix-like structure. At the heart of this nebula lies the remnant of the original star, referred to as the central star, which will eventually evolve into a white dwarf. The intense energy emitted by this central star illuminates the expelled gases, causing them to fluoresce brightly.  Located in the constellation Aquarius, the Helix Nebula is approximately 650 light-years from Earth and spans about 0.8 parsecs, or 2.5 light-years, across.

Object: NGC7293

Location: UK

Mount: Alt Az

Bortle Scale: 4

Nights:       11th - 13th September

Total Subs Used: 652 x 10 Subs

Seeing:  Clear 

Fits Stacked: Siril

Post-Processing Steps

1. GraXpert - Background extraction and Denoise v2.0 

2. Siril - colour calibration, photometric colour calibration, removing green noise, Background extraction.  GraXpert - Denoise AI

3.  Lightroom