Stock Photo - Helix Nebula As Seen By Hubble and the Cerro Toledo Inter-American Observatory. Looks can be deceiving, especially when it comes to celestial objects like galaxies and nebulas. These objects are so far away that astronomers cannot see their three-dimensional structure. The Helix Nebula, for example, resembles a doughnut in colorful images. Earlier images of this complex object -- the gaseous envelope ejected by a dying, sun-like star -- did not allow astronomers to precisely interpret its structure. One possible interpretation was that the Helix´s form resembled a snake-like coil. Now, a team of astronomers using NASA´s Hubble Space Telescope has established that the Helix´s structure is even more perplexing. Their evidence suggests that the Helix consists of two disks nearly perpendicular to each other ( photo: NASA, ESA )