{"id":555707,"date":"2026-03-23T17:22:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/555707\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T17:22:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:22:12","slug":"astrophotographer-spies-thors-helmet-shining-15000-light-years-away-in-spectacular-photo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/555707\/","title":{"rendered":"Astrophotographer spies Thor&#8217;s Helmet shining 15,000 light-years away in spectacular photo"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Tg469HiMJcA82NUbRqTJwL.jpg\" alt=\"A colourful nebula scene is pictured shining in deep space among a field of stars.\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Tg469HiMJcA82NUbRqTJwL.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Tg469HiMJcA82NUbRqTJwL.jpg\" class=\"inline expandable\"\/><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Tg469HiMJcA82NUbRqTJwL.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"expand-button icon-expand-image icon\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Tg469HiMJcA82NUbRqTJwL.jpg\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/><\/p>\n<p>NGC 2359 glows in the constellation Canis Major. (Image credit: Ronald Brecher)<\/p>\n<p id=\"d6dd69ab-c413-4bd3-992a-11fdfc89c87a\">The god of thunder appears to have misplaced his helmet in a new deep-space photo from Ronald Brecher, which captured glorious detail in a nebula scene surrounding a colossal star shining 15,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Canis Major, the &#8220;Great Dog&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Brecher&#8217;s image reveals the 30-light-year-wide emission <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/nebula-definition-types\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/nebula-definition-types\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/nebula-definition-types\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">nebula<\/a> NGC 2359, whose bubble-like form was sculpted by the stellar wind blasting out from the colossal Wolf-Rayet star at its heart. The stellar giant is estimated to be 16 times more massive and 280,000 times brighter than <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/58-the-sun-formation-facts-and-characteristics.html\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/58-the-sun-formation-facts-and-characteristics.html\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/58-the-sun-formation-facts-and-characteristics.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the sun<\/a>, <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/lowell.edu\/outer-space-spotlight-thors-helmet-nebula-ngc-2359\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/lowell.edu\/outer-space-spotlight-thors-helmet-nebula-ngc-2359\/\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">according to the Lowell Observatory<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"d6dd69ab-c413-4bd3-992a-11fdfc89c87a-2\">A pair of wing-like nebula structures sweep away from NGC 2359&#8217;s central bubble, giving it the appearance of a vast cosmic helmet remarkably similar to that worn by Thor, the Norse god of thunder.<\/p>\n<p>Article continues below <\/p>\n<p>            You may like<\/p>\n<p id=\"07f47577-f5c8-4f97-a55e-8b95190c688e\">The burst of activity that formed NGC 2359 \u2014 also known as Thor&#8217;s Helmet \u2014 is merely the precursor to the cataclysmic natural light show to follow, when the ageing Wolf-Rayet star ends its life in a <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/6638-supernova.html\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/6638-supernova.html\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/6638-supernova.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">supernova<\/a> explosion that will reshape the nearby interstellar environment.<\/p>\n<p>ZWO ASI533MC Pro<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/5TsBuLyy5vctwpdWnuj9Pa.jpg\" alt=\"A product photo of the ZWO ASI1533MC Pro Camera\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/5TsBuLyy5vctwpdWnuj9Pa.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/5TsBuLyy5vctwpdWnuj9Pa.jpg\" class=\"pinterest-pin-exclude\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Amazon)<\/p>\n<p class=\"fancy-box__body-text\"><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/target.georiot.com\/Proxy.ashx?tsid=72128&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fdp%2FB083ZC9WYP%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dspace-us-7223426940818276055-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored noopener nofollow\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B083ZC9WYP\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"hawklinks\" data-google-interstitial=\"false\" data-placeholder-url=\"https:\/\/target.georiot.com\/Proxy.ashx?tsid=72128&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fdp%2FB083ZC9WYP%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20\" data-merchant-name=\"Amazon US\" data-merchant-id=\"1471\" data-merchant-network=\"Amazonus\" data-merchant-url=\"amazon.com\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\">The ZWO ASI533MC Pro camera<\/a> is the best dedicated astro camera out there, in our opinion. It features zero amp glow, 80% quantum efficiency and a 20FPS frame rate. It also features a 9MP sensor and you can check out our <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/zwo-asi533mc-pro-camera-review\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/zwo-asi533mc-pro-camera-review\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/zwo-asi533mc-pro-camera-review\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ZWO ASI533MC Pro review<\/a> for a more in-depth look.<\/p>\n<p id=\"d0b8371f-ef63-40b8-8e09-76324b011506\"><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/astrodoc.ca\/ngc-2359\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/astrodoc.ca\/ngc-2359\/\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Brecher<\/a> captured the ionized glow of the distant nebula using a Celestron 14-inch EDGE HD telescope with a monochrome astronomy camera fitted with a series of narrowband filters in the skies over the city of Guelph,Canada, from March 8-13, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>A little over 8 hours and 124 camera exposures went into the creation of the gorgeous deep space image, which was carefully stacked and processed using the astronomy software PixInsight. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t think I could capture Thor&#8217;s Helmet from my location,&#8221; Brecher told Space.com in an email. &#8220;It skimmed the trees through my most light-polluted skies, awash in the glow of the Guelph&#8217;s Auto Mall. But here we are!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Want to capture your own deep space images? Then be sure to check out our <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/astrophotography-for-beginners-guide\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/astrophotography-for-beginners-guide\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/astrophotography-for-beginners-guide\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">beginner&#8217;s guide to shooting the night sky with a DSLR camera<\/a> and peruse our roundups of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-cameras-for-astrophotography\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-cameras-for-astrophotography\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-cameras-for-astrophotography\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">best camera bodies<\/a> and <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-lenses-for-astrophotography\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-lenses-for-astrophotography\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-lenses-for-astrophotography\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">lenses for astrophotography<\/a> if you&#8217;re looking to upgrade your gear!<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!<\/p>\n<p>Editor&#8217;s Note: Do you want to share your nebula photos with Space.com&#8217;s readers? Then please send your photo(s) and comments, along with your name and location to spacephotos@space.com. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NGC 2359 glows in the constellation Canis Major. (Image credit: Ronald Brecher) The god of thunder appears to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":555708,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[49,48,66],"class_list":["post-555707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/555708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}