Hasta La Gadget!

Oct 29

NASA celebrates Halloween with space ghost images

These dying stars are known as "planetary nebulas."

(Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)

In space, no one can hear a dying star scream, but you can certainly see the aftermath if you have a space telescope. To celebrate the spooky season, NASA released three images of “the disembodied remains of dying stars” captured by the Spitzer Space Telescope.

The images of planetary nebulae were captured in infrared light, showing the death of three stars, one of which looks an awful lot like the Mutara Nebula from “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.”

The three nebulae all have interesting names. The first earned the nickname of the “Exposed Cranium” for its resemblance to a brain. It consists of an inner area of ionized gas surrounded by a greenish area of hydrogen molecules. The second nebula is known as the “Ghost of Jupiter” and is located in the Hydra constellation.