A new image of the Helix Nebula reveals how dying stars return material to the galaxy.

The Helix Nebula offers a rare look at what happens after a dying star releases its outer layers into space. New observations show fragments of that material colliding with surrounding gas, breaking apart, and beginning their return to the galaxy.

By tracing those structures, an international team that includes Northwestern University astrophysicists followed the debris as it is stripped down and mixed into interstellar space. Over time, some of that material could become incorporated into new clouds, stars, and perhaps planets.