My grandma got this pic in her e-mail.  The caption claims that it’s the eye of god. It looks doctored to me.

It’s an image of the Helix Nebula, also know as the Eye of God.

http://www.skyimagelab.com/helixnebula.html

I remember seeing it on snopes: http://www.snopes.com/photos/space/eyeofgod.asp

The Eye of God

Claim:  Photograph taken by the Hubble Telescope shows the ‘Eye of God.’

Status:  True.

Example:  [Collected on the Internet, 2003]

Origins:  This is a real photograph of the Helix Nebula, although it’s technically not a single photograph but rather a composite image formed from several photographs taken by NASA’s orbiting Hubble Space Telescope and a land-based telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona.

This image was NASA’s “Astronomy Picture of the Day” for 10 May 2003. The picture’s “Eye of God” appellation appears to have been a title coined by an admirer of the photo due to the nebula’s resemblance to a human eye, not something designated by NASA.

So it is real.  For some reason it looks fake to me.

I think it looks like the one ring from LOTR (even though it doesnt). just me

well since god doesn’t exist, the names a hoax but the pic is real

thunderstruck - 12 September 2005 06:00 PM

I think it looks like the one ring from LOTR (even though it doesnt). just me

I was just thinking…Hmm…The eye!!  I was LOTR minded also.

If you go to the Hubble page, they got alot of pretty fascinating pics…...they are just amazing…great for wall paper too.

Maegan - 13 September 2005 10:21 AM

thunderstruck - 12 September 2005 06:00 PM

I think it looks like the one ring from LOTR (even though it doesnt). just me

I was just thinking…Hmm…The eye!!  I was LOTR minded also.

woo hoo! I am not alone!

Actually, it never crossed my mind…..

Definitely a true picture. The Helix nebula is a well know Deep-Sky object n the southern part of the constelllation Aquarius. Its a large planetary nebula, result of a star shedding its outer layers into space.

(the name “planetary nebula” is somewhat misleading as it has nothing to do with planets. The name was coined in the 19th century because many of this type of nebula look like small planetary discs in a telescope).

...thus spoke thy resident amateur astronomer…..

Dany - 12 September 2005 01:48 PM

So it is real.  For some reason it looks fake to me.

You don’t get around the Galaxy much, do you?