Planetary Nebula NGC 7293 also Known as the Helix Nebula

This ultraviolet image from NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer is of the planetary nebula NGC 7293 also known as the Helix Nebula. It is the nearest example of what happens to a star, like our own Sun, as it approaches the end of its life when it runs out of fuel, expels gas outward and evolves into a much hotter, smaller and denser white dwarf star.

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07902