Thor's Helmet

Thor’s Helmet, an emissions nebula, forms as a result of the extremely hot Wolf-Rayet star, WR7, ionizing the surrounding gases. Solar winds from the central star push these gases away, creating the distinctive bubble shape. The nebula spans 30 light-years and is located 11,960 light-years from Earth within the Canis Major constellation. Presented in Hubble Palette (False Color Image) with with 12 hours and 20 minutes of exposure.