Space is cool
Space is cool. Pass it on.
About 2,000 light years from Earth is this, the Southern Ring nebula. The obvious, bright star at the center is locked in a tight orbit with a dim, dying star. It is the dying star that emits the gas and dust that make this nebula so striking.
The Tarantula Nebula is the brightest, nearest star-forming region in our "Local Group" (nearest galaxies) and home to the hottest, most massive stars that astronomers know. The nebula’s cavity is hollowed out by winds from a cluster of massive young stars.