Smithsonian Castle with Chandra AR Experience

Spotted outside the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall, the helix nebula augmented reality effect provides a sense of the end of a star’s life. This new set of Chandra Instagram experiences was made possible by a collaboration including NASA, the Smithsonian Institution, as well as students and researchers at Brown University. Each effect includes facts such as the one seen here: This phase of a star is called a “planetary nebula,” a misnomer originating from mistaken observations by 19th century astronomers.