NASA's Hubble Space Telescope
has captured this striking image
of a dying star called the Egg Nebula.
About 5000 years ago
the star began periodically ejecting
shells of gas and dust.
Over the last 400 years,
twin lobes of material have burst forth.
The central star is hidden
behind a dense, dusty disk.
The dust disk and bipolar lobes
block the light from the star,
creating a searchlight effect.
These features can be explored in depth
within Hubble's new Egg Nebula image.