The Helix Nebula marks the death of a Sun-like star. It consists of ionized gases in an expanding shell of material ejected from its fading central star. Green indicates the presence of excited oxygen atoms, while the red of the outer ring indicates hydrogen and nitrogen atoms ionized by the hot central star. Cometary knots, the pinking blobs radiating out from the central area, give the nebula its alternative name, the Sunflower nebula. This true-colour photograph was taken with the Anglo-Australian Telescope from New South Wales, Australia.