This blue “bubble” surrounding a star about 30,000 light-years away is called a Wolf-Rayet nebula. These are created when speedy stellar winds interact with the outer layers of hydrogen that are ejected by Wolf–Rayet stars (like the star seen here), and these nebulae are typically ring-shaped or spherical.
Astronomers estimate that the nebula in this view expands at a rate of about 136,700 miles (220,000 km) per hour!
This star will eventually die in a supernova explosion, but the ejected stellar material will go on to nourish a new generation of stars and planets.
A bright star with four diffraction spikes shines at the center of the image, surrounded by a dark blue ring of gas and dust. Other stars fill the image, all against black space.
Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgment: Judy Schmidt
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