Astronomers have for the first time spotted a nebula in the form of a double helix--the shape of the DNA molecule. Skip to main content. Scientific American. March 21, 2006. 1 min read.

The double helix nebula is approximately 300 light years from the enormous black hole at the center of the Milky Way. (The Earth is more than 25,000 light years from the black hole at the galactic ...

Observations of an infrared nebula with an intertwined double helix approximately 100 parsecs from the Galaxy's dynamical centre indicate that it is a torsional Alfvn wave propagating vertically ...

"Once every 10,000 years is exactly what we need to explain the twisting of the magnetic field lines that we see in the double helix nebula," Morris said. The recipe .

Astronomers report an unprecedented elongated double helix nebula near the center of our Milky Way galaxy, using observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The part of the nebula the ...

A “double helix nebula” near the Milky Way’s centre has been revealed by the Spitzer Space Telescope’s infrared vision. “The organising feature is a magnetic field oriented along the ...

Magnetic forces at the center of the galaxy have twisted a nebula into the shape of DNA, a new study reveals. The double helix shape is commonly seen inside living organisms, but this is the first ...

The Helix Nebula, located 650 light-years from Earth, has baffled scientists for decades. The planetary nebula was created by a dying star that shed its outer layers of gas, leaving behind a small ...

Other ring-shaped planetary nebulas, such as the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293 in Aquarius), have also been shown to have bi-lobed structures by which we are looking "down" the end of one lobe.

The red giant, called HR3126, is thought to be partially responsible for the unusual double-lobed shape of the nebula. Astronomers theorize that the red giant once had a companion star, which has ...

Decades of constant X-ray emission from the Helix Nebula’s white dwarf suggest debris from a Jupiter-sized planet steadily rains upon the star.