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.