WASHINGTON (Web Desk) - The US space agency NASA has released striking new images that offer a glimpse into the possible final fate of our solar system.
According to NASA, the images show what may happen around five billion years from now, when the Sun exhausts its fuel and undergoes a massive transformation.
At that stage, the Sun is expected to shed its outer layers, leaving behind a vast shell of dust and gas.
Earth is also likely to be affected during this dramatic process.
The newly shared visuals are of the Helix Nebula, a cloud of gas and dust located approximately 650 light-years away from Earth. Scientists say this nebula represents the remains of a star similar to our Sun, which ran out of fuel thousands of years ago.
Astronomers have highlighted remarkable structures inside a three light-year-wide ring of gas emitted by the dying star. These intricate formations provide rare insight into the late stages of stellar evolution.
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NASA explained that these images serve as a close preview of what could eventually happen to our own Sun and the solar system, helping scientists better understand how stars like the Sun end their life cycles.