Bow before the Butterfly Nebula

(Image credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble)

What you see here is technically called NGC 6302... but we prefer Butterfly Nebula. This image shows a (relatively) close-up view of a dying star that is blasting its internal gases and chemicals into outer space. And that colorful dust cloud isn't all for show — it actually seeds the universe, creating a new generation of stars.

This photo was taken in 2009 by the ever-diligent Hubble Space Telescope.

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Lauren Hansen produces The Weekâ€™s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.