NASA images: 12 dazzling images of stars captured by NASA

U Camelopardalis, or U Cam for short, is a star nearing the end of its life. As stars run low on fuel, they become unstable. 

The death of a star is seen in a supernova, an explosion so bright that it can outshine the light from an entire galaxy.

NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission captured this mosaic of the Heart and Soul nebulae.

This image combines data from four space telescopes to create a multi-wavelength view of all that remains of RCW 86, the oldest documented example of a supernova.

At the center of this Chandra image, a pulsar -- only twelve miles in diameter -- is responsible for this X-ray nebula that spans 150 light years.

This image from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory shows the location of different elements in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant including silicon (red), sulfur (yellow), calcium (green) and iron (purple). 

This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Cat's Paw Nebula, so named for the large, round features that create the impression of a feline footprint.

A new composite image of the Crab Nebula features X-rays from Chandra (blue and white), optical data from Hubble (purple), and infrared data from Spitzer (pink).

Astronomers combined several Hubble Space Telescope images to create this view of the Pillars of Creation, which are about 5 light-years tall

NASA's SOFIA detected the magnetic field streamlines shown over this image of the Keyhole Nebula, part of the larger Carina Nebula

The mystery of how Cassiopeia A exploded is unraveling thanks to new data from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR.

The mystery of how Cassiopeia A exploded is unraveling thanks to new data from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR.