You are here:About>News & Issues>Urban Legends> Photo Fakery> Supernatural Wonders> The Eye of God? (Hubble Telescope Photo) - Netlore Archive
About.comUrban Legends

'The Eye of God'

Netlore Archive: Emailed NASA photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope has been labeled the 'Eye of God' by frequent forwarders

Description: Emailed photo
Circulating since: May 2003
Status: Authentic NASA image


Email example contributed by A. Lieb, 27 July 2003:

Subject: Fw: Eye of God

This is a picture taken by NASA with the Hubble telescope. They are referring to it as the "Eye of God". I thought it was beautiful and worth sharing.

The Eye of God



Comments: This is an authentic photograph -- or rather, composite of photos -- taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. The image was featured on NASA's Website as an Astronomy Picture of the Day in May 2003 and thereafter posted on a number of Websites under the title "The Eye of God" (though I have found no evidence that NASA has ever referred to it as such). The awe-inspiring image has also been featured on magazine covers and in articles about space imagery.

What it actually depicts is the so-called Helix Nebula, described by astronomers as "a trillion-mile-long tunnel of glowing gases." At its center is dying star which has ejected masses of dust and gas to form tentacle-like filaments stretching toward an outer rim composed of the same material. Our own sun may look like this in several billion years.

Image Credit: NASA, WIYN, NOAO, ESA, Hubble Helix Nebula Team, M. Meixner (STScI), & T. A. Rector (NRAO).


Email This Article



Real or Fake? Take the Urban Legends Photo Quiz

Real or fake?Image #1: This picture was taken near the South African coast during a military exercise by the British Navy. The diver got a little more training than he expected.

Choose one: Real or Fake?



Sources and further reading:

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: The Helix Nebula
Info about Hubble Space Telescope photo of the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293)

Iridescent Glory of Nearby Planetary Nebula
National Optical Astronomy Observatory press release, 10 May 2003

Examples of the Beauty and Variety of Planetary Nebulae
NASA Observatorium

Star Evolution and Death - Planetary Nebulae Formation
NASA Observatorium


Last updated: 11/19/03


Current Hoaxes / Netlore
The Urban Legends Top 25

From David Emery,
Your Guide to Urban Legends.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Newsletters & RSSEmail to a friendSubmit to Digg
 All Topics | Email Article | | |
Advertising Info | News & Events | Work at About | SiteMap | Reprints | HelpOur Story | Be a Guide
User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy©2008 About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.