Recently, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured one of the clearest images of the Egg Nebula, where various lights and stardust create a spectacular light-and-shadow show.
In this image, the Egg Nebula provides an exceptional opportunity to test theories of stellar evolution, as its shapes and movements suggest gravitational interactions with one or more hidden companion stars, which are located deep within the dense disk of stellar dust.
The photo showcases the Egg Nebula surrounded by hundreds of stars, with several columns and rings of light emanating from it. These lights are believed to be remnants of aging stars.
These aging stars produced and released the dust that eventually formed new star systems, including our own solar system, which merged to create Earth and other rocky planets approximately 4.5 billion years ago.
The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make groundbreaking discoveries that shape our understanding of the universe. Hubble is a joint international project between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
