Free Astronomy Magazine May-June 2026

11 MAY-JUNE 2026 ASTRO PUBLISHING from a violent explosion like a su- pernova. Instead, the arcs, lobes, and central dust cloud likely stem from a coordinated series of poorly understood sputtering events in the carbon-enriched core of the dying star. Aged stars like these forged and released the dust that eventu- ally seeded future star systems, such as our own solar system, which coa- lesced into Earth and other rocky planets 4.5 billion years ago. Hubble has turned towards the Egg Nebula before. A first visible-light image from WFPC2 was comple- mented in 1997 by a near-infrared NICMOS image, giving a closer look at the light given off by the nebula. In 2003, ACS yielded a new view of the Egg, showing the full extent of the ripples of dust around it. A fur- ther image from Hubble’s WFC3 in- strument in 2012 zoomed in on the central dust cloud and dramatic gas outflows. This new image combines the data used to create the 2012 image with additional observations from the same programme to de- liver the clearest look yet at this in- tricate cosmic egg. The data used in this image was ob- tained so it could be directly com- pared with earlier observations. Hubble’s high resolution enables as- tronomers to study how small de- tails in the nebula’s dusty shell have evolved over the past decade and more, by comparing new and old images. This research contributes to better scientific models of planetary nebulae, allowing astronomers to accurately compute the evolution of all kinds of similar stellar outbursts. Being able to revisit a remarkable celestial treasure like the Egg Neb- ula over the decades is a benefit of the Hubble Space Telescope’s trove of quality data. With its broad range of abilities and its now over thirty-five years of operation, it is truly unique among astronomical observatories. T his stunning image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Tele- scope reveals a dramatic inter- play of light and shadow in the Egg Nebula, sculpted by freshly ejected stardust. Located approximately 1,000 light-years away in the con- stellation Cygnus, the Egg Nebula features a central star obscured by a dense cloud of dust. Only Hubble’s sharpness can unveil the intricate details that hint at the processes shaping this enigmatic structure. The Egg Nebula, also known as CRL 2688, is located in the constellation Cygnus (the Swan). It is the first, youngest, and closest pre-planetary nebula ever discovered. The Egg Nebula offers a rare oppor- tunity to test theories of late-stage stellar evolution. At this early phase, the nebula shines by reflecting light from its central star, which escapes through a polar “eye” in the sur- rounding dust. This light emerges from a dusty disc expelled from the star’s surface just a few hundred years ago. Twin beams from the dying star illuminate fast-moving polar lobes that pierce a slower, older series of concentric arcs. Their shapes and motions suggest gravita- tional interactions with one or more hidden companion stars, all buried deep within the thick disc of star- dust. Stars like our Sun shed their outer layers as they exhaust their hy- drogen and helium fuel. The ex- posed core becomes so hot that it ionises surrounding gas, creating the glowing shells seen in planetary nebulae such as the Helix, Stingray, and Butterfly nebulae. However, the compact Egg Nebula is still in a brief transitional phase — known as the pre-planetary stage — that lasts only a few thousand years. This makes it an ideal time to study the ejection process while the forensic evidence remains fresh. The symmetrical patterns captured by Hubble are too orderly to result T his newly processed im- age from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is the clearest view yet of the Egg Nebula. It is a preplane- tary nebula, a structure of gas and dust created as a Sun-like star approaches the end of its life. The Egg that we see now will eventually hatch, revealing a white dwarf at its centre and leav- ing its shell to become a spec- tacular planetary nebula. [ESA/ Hubble & NASA, B. Balick (University of Washington)] !