Hubble captures image of 'blue bubble' in space
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope recently captured a stunning image of a "blue bubble" surrounding a star in space.
What looks like a hazy blue circle is actually a cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other gases, surrounding the Wolf-Rayet star, WR 31a, according to the European Space Agency.
The star is 30,000 light-years away, according to the agency.
The "blue bubble" or blue-tinged nebula is formed when stellar winds interact with hydrogen emitted by Wolf-Rayet stars, according to the ESA.
The nebula likely formed 20,000 years ago and is currently expanding at 136,700 miles per hour. But the growth spurt won't last long.
“Unfortunately, the lifecycle of a Wolf–Rayet star is only a few hundred thousand years — the blink of an eye in cosmic terms,” ESA said.
Gallery: Big moments in space
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