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NASA's Hubble Captures Light Show Around Rapidly Dying Star

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February 10, 2026 10:00AM (EST)Release ID: 2026-008
In the image center, an opaque oval cloud of gray gas aligned from 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock hides a star. Two strong beams of light from the star emerge from large holes in both sides of the cloud, forming narrow cones extending toward 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock. The central cloud is surrounded by concentric, wispy shells of gas illuminated by the star’s light. The shells reflect extra light where they’re hit by the twin beams. A crowd of smaller stars with cross-shaped spikes over them surrounds the nebula on a black background.

Summary

Interplay of shadow, light, and dust hints at processes shaping enigmatic nebula

Stardust dances with starlight to create the spectacular Egg Nebula—and the Hubble Space Telescope has a front-row seat to the show. The remarkably symmetrical structure is created by a newly dying, Sun-like star casting off its outer layers of dust and gas. About 1,000 light-years away, the enigmatic Egg Nebula is the youngest and closest nebula of its type ever discovered.  

Twin beams of light illuminate polar lobes and nested arcs, hinting at gravitational interactions with one or more hidden companion stars shrouded by the thick dust. Only Hubble’s exquisitely sharp vision can reveal intricate details of the Egg Nebula’s structure and provide scientists with a rare, close-up opportunity to study a dying star. 

 

Full Article

This stunning image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope reveals a dramatic interplay of light and shadow in the Egg Nebula, sculpted by freshly ejected stardust. Located approximately 1,000 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus, the Egg Nebula features a central star obscured by a dense cloud of dust — like a “yolk” nestled within a dark, opaque “egg white.” Only Hubble’s sharpness can unveil the intricate details that hint at the processes shaping this enigmatic structure. It is the first, youngest, and closest pre-planetary nebula ever discovered. ...

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News releases highlighting the discoveries of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope are produced for NASA by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, under NASA Contract NAS5-26555. News release content is developed by the News Team in STScI’s Office of Public Outreach.

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