NASA recently delighted space enthusiasts with stunning images of the Red Spider Nebula, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Located 3,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Sagittarius, this celestial marvel is a planetary nebula that showcases some truly breathtaking cosmic phenomena.
The Red Spider Nebula stands out due to its striking appearance and the incredible star at its centre. The Red Spider Nebula harbours one of the hottest stars known, which heats the gas around it to form shockwaves 62 billion miles (100 billion km) high. These shockwaves are responsible for the nebula’s distinctive spider-leg-like arcs.
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The Red Spider Nebula resembles a black widow spider. The nebula’s bright, orange waves of hot gas curve outwards, mimicking the legs of a spider, while the star at the centre looks like the hourglass shape of a black widow spider. The nebula’s core glows with a pinkish hue.
The Red Spider Nebula is a perfect example of the universe’s ability to create stunning, otherworldly landscapes through the interaction of powerful forces and celestial materials.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope continues to capture and share incredible images of the universe, bringing the beauty and complexity of space right to our screens.
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The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and still operational today. Although not the first space telescope, it is one of the largest and most versatile, celebrated for its significant contributions to research and its role in popularising astronomy. Named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble, it is one of NASA’s Great Observatories.
According to NASA, the Hubble Space Telescope is a “large, space-based observatory that has changed our understanding of the cosmos since its launch.”