NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for August 4, 2026 featured a James Webb Space Telescope infrared image of part of the Helix Nebula, showing fine detail in its cometary knots of gas and dust. The accompanying text, credited to Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti and Keighley Rockcliffe, notes that similar knots appear in the Ring Nebula, the Dumbbell Nebula and NGC 2392. Their existence was not initially predicted, and their origins are still not well understood.

According to the entry, the knots have masses similar to Earth's but sizes typically several times Pluto's orbit. One hypothesis for their fragmentation and evolution involves existing gas being driven out by a less dense but highly energetic stellar wind from the central evolving star.

The Helix Nebula, designated NGC 7293, is described as one of the closest planetary nebulas formed at the end of a Sun-like star's life, lying about 650 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius. The image is credited to NASA, ESA, CSA and STScI, with processing by Alyssa Pagan of STScI.