The Eye of Sauron:

Sauron is the evil Dark Lord that rules over the land of Mordor in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy.  If Sauron focused his eye on you, his evil wrath would ensue.......

So, if you dare, you can stare into the Helix Nebula, nicknamed "Eye of Sauron".  It's both beautiful and sinister, all in one stunning creation!

But honestly, I read the "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy years ago, and have never seen the movie.  The only thing I remember about Tolkien's work was that those little Hobbits sure like to eat.  It seemed like every chapter, they were stopping to wolf down some sort of feast.  I'd read a few chapters, then had to go make a pizza or something to squelch my hunger.....

As for the Helix Nebula, it is the closest Nebula to earth, at a distance of 650 light years away.  In fact, it appears so large in the sky that the Hubble Telescope had to take several different shots and then blend them together to create this photo.  Stunning!!

The song "Eye of Sauron" is my first (and last) attempt at playing shred guitar.  I have performed it in a setting that allows the shred to be listened to normally, instead of needing earplugs to endure.....

Eye of Sauron (Helix Nebula). Photo courtesy of STSci / Hubble Heritage Collection.

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