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What it is : The Soul Nebula ( also called Westerhout 5 or IC 1848 ) and a star - forge bubble within it

When it was taken : Sept. 29 , 2023

The Soul Nebula, with a star-forming "tadpole" in the upper center left.

The Soul Nebula, with a star-forming “tadpole” in the upper center left.

Where it is:7,000 light - long time from Earth in the configuration Cassiopeia , in the Perseus coiling sleeve of theMilky Waygalaxy

Why it ’s so special : A beautiful newHubble Space Telescopeimagepublished in late Septembershows a sullen , tadpole - regulate object within a sea of red .

That ocean is a nebula — a huge cloud of dust and gas in infinite — call the Soul Nebula . Specifically , it ’s an discharge nebula — a bright , diffuse cloud of electrically charged throttle that let out its own light , according toNASA . The nebula is red because it ’s utter H - alpha light , which is the result of negatron within H atoms releasing light as they become less up-and-coming .

an image of the Eagle Nebula

Related:25 gorgeous nebula photos that capture the sweetheart of the universe

issue to coincide with the fall foliage time of year in the Northern Hemisphere , the image ’s bright - reddish lightness is dwelling to what astronomers call an evaporating gaseous globule ( EGG ) . Like all EGGs , the sullen , pollywog - form EGG in this nebula ’s upper center left is a impenetrable , compact air hole of molecular hydrogen gas set up in star - imprint regions , according toHubbleSite . Besides the acronym , there ’s another reason for the " EGG " name : These bubble of interstellar gun are heavy enough to collapse under their own free weight to form vernal stars , akin to eggs think of to reveal the babies within .

— distance pic of the week : Hubble spies a spectacular galaxy crash

a photo of a nebula that looks like two overlapping circles

— quad photo of the workweek : Warped ' hummingbird galaxy ' guard a cosmic egg

— place photo of the workweek : The sun ’s tearing St. Elmo’s fire like it ’s never been seen before

However , this EGG — name KAG2008 globule 13 and J025838.6 + 604259 — is different from most . While other orchis are connected in a nebula , this one is a detach free floater — a " frEGG " — with a distinguishable " head - empennage " human body . Ultraviolet radiation from stars can make it hard for baby stars to prosper , but the flatulency within frEGGs and orchis is so dull that the " egg " act as cocoons that help baby virtuoso word form .

An image of red swirling dust and sparkling stars in outer space

How to see it in the night sky : The Soul Nebula is part of the star - forming Heart and Soul Nebula ( IC 1805 ) , a pop deep - sky sight for telescopes in the Northern Hemisphere winter .

A photo of a spiral galaxy

An image of the Milky Way captured by the MeerKAT radio telescope. At the center of the MeerKAT image the region surrounding the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole blazes bright. Huge vertical filamentary structures echo those captured on a smaller scale by Webb in Sagittarius C’s blue-green hydrogen cloud.

NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features part of the Small Magellanic Cloud.

an illustration of Mars

An image of a spiral galaxy

A two-paneled image. On the left, a deep sky image showing many stars. On the right, a zoomed-in version showing a cluster of stars.

A photograph taken from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which shows wave-like patterns inside a Mars crater.

An illustration of an asteroid passing by Earth

a closeup of a meteorite in the snow

Three-dimensional rendering of an HIV virus

three prepackaged sandwiches

Tunnel view of Yosemite National Park.

A scuba diver descends down a deep ocean reef wall into the abyss.

Remains of the Heroon, a small temple built for the burial cluster of Philip II at the Museum of the Royal Tombs inside the Great Tumulus of Aigai (Aegae)