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April 4, 2025 - Space - In about 5 billion years, our Sun will run out of fuel and expand, possibly engulfing Earth. These end stages of a star's life can be utterly beautiful as is the case with this planetary nebula called the Helix Nebula. Astronomers study these objects by looking at all kinds of light. This image of the Helix Nebula, released on March 4, 2025, shows a potentially destructive white dwarf at the nebula's center: this star may have destroyed a planet. This has never been seen before and could explain a mysterious X-ray signal that astronomers have detected from the nebula for over 40 years (Credit Image: © NASA/ZUMA Press Wire)
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