The full moon looms over the Washington Monument, while NASA’s Hubble reveals the Bubble Nebula, a 7-light-year structure formed by a massive star. This star emits gases at extreme temperatures, creating vibrant colors. Astronauts aboard the ISS experience the Overview Effect, reshaping their perception of Earth.

A glowing full moon rises above the Washington Monument. The top quarter of the monument, covered in scaffolding, is visible, with its triangular tip appearing to point to the pale Moon above, which appears in this photo to be roughly twice as wide as the monument. The Moon is wreathed in thin clouds which give it a hazy appearance.

This stylish sphere, spotted by NASA Hubble, is known as the Bubble Nebula. Residing 7,100 light-years from Earth, the Bubble Nebula itself is a whopping 7 light-years across. The seething star that forms this nebula is 45 times more massive than our Sun!

Gas on the star gets so hot that it escapes away into space as a stellar wind moving at over four million miles per hour (6.4 million kph). The gases, heated to varying temperatures, emit different colors: blue for oxygen, green for hydrogen, and red for nitrogen.

The Bubble Nebula formed about four million years ago—and in 10 to 20 million years, the star at its core will likely detonate as a supernova.

“This is soo pretty,” commented a user on NASA’s post, while another wondered how gas in space can turn into colours?

The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 265 miles above the US state of Minnesota on 17 December 2021.

Observing Earth from space can alter an astronaut’s cosmic perspective, a mental shift known as the “Overview Effect.” First coined by space writer Frank White in 1987, the Overview Effect is described as a feeling of awe for our home planet and a sense of responsibility for taking care of it.⁣

The Overview Effect can create powerful shifts in the way you think about Earth and life. The words “beautiful” and “fragile” are often used by astronauts to describe the experience. As the International Space Station was soaring 262 miles (422 kilometers) above Western Australia, NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps captured this long-duration shot, or an image captured by camera set to a lower shutter speed.⁣

To this picture was liked by over 755,100 people, as the users commented: “The earth gained green aura.”

NASA Hubble telescope caught this glimpse of the Red Spider Nebula, a planetary nebula 3,000 light-years from Earth. It can be found in the constellation of Sagittarius.

The Red Spider Nebula harbors one of the hottest stars known, which heats the gas around it to form shockwaves 62 billion miles (100 billion km) high. These waves form the spider-leg-like arcs in this image, with the star resembling a black widow’s hourglass at the center.