Aug 17, 2024, 07:08 AM IST
Blue swirls emanate outward near the center of the photo, appearing dense on the left and right side of the image's midpoint and more wispy in the middle.
A scattering of red-orange and blue stars fill the frame of the black background in space.
As you follow the image down, layers of stars appear, ranging in size and color. Faint diffraction spikes can be seen on some of the stars.
Located 15,000 light years away, the “Necklace Nebula” known as PN G054.203.4 was created by a pair of tightly orbiting Sun-like stars.
Red dual opposing jets coming from young stars fill the darker top half of the image. At bottom center is a glowing pale-yellow, cave-like structure, its top tilted toward two o’clock, with a bright star at its center.
Known to astronomers as NGC 1569, this is a type of galaxy called a starburst, meaning that it’s literally bursting with newly-formed stars.