NASA Finds Thor’s Cosmic Helmet In Space

The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope was able to capture a mesmerizing image of a nebula that is shaped like the Norse god Thor’s helmet. According to the agencies, the massive cosmic structure was formed by an extremely hot star that's about to go supernova.

The cosmic object detected by Hubble is known as NGC 2459, which is commonly referred to as Thor’s Helmet due to its distinct shape. It is located about 15,000 light-years from Earth and lies within the Canis Major constellation.

As seen in the image taken by Hubble, the structure of the nebula is characterized by a large cosmic cloud that looks like a bubble. It was formed by the stellar winds emitted by the nebula’s central star known as Wolf-Rayet.

According to space agencies, the star is in a pre-supernova stage of evolution, which means it hasn’t exploded fully yet. The ESA explained that this star is losing mass equivalent to that of the entire Sun at an incredible pace.

“This star, a Wolf-Rayet star named HD 56925, is old, massive and pushing out incredible amounts of material at a staggering pace: the star loses a mass equivalent to that of the Sun in less than 100 000 years, in the form of a wind moving faster than 1500 km/s,” the agency explained.

In its current state, Wolf-Rayet is shedding off its outer layer and producing stellar winds that are interacting with the surrounding cosmic materials such as dust and gas.

The interaction between the Wolf-Rayet star’s emissions and the surrounding cosmic materials sculpted the main structure of the nebula, which appears like a helmet with wing-like appendages on its side. Due to its strange shape, NASA and the ESA noted that it closely resembles the helmet worn by the Norse god Thor.

“Having such violent inhabitants has influenced NGC 2359's messy shape,” the ESA explained in a statement. “The nebula consists of a central bubble surrounded by a tangled web of gaseous filaments, thick channels of dark dust and bright outbursts, where material swept up by the stellar wind has collided with the surrounding gas and triggered rippling shock waves throughout the region.”