The massive Wolf–Rayet star WR 134, located in Cygnus about 6,000 light-years away, is the source of the striking nebula seen here. Intense stellar winds from the hot, unstable star sweep surrounding gas into a luminous bubble, glowing brightly in ionized oxygen (blue) and hydrogen (red). These winds move at thousands of kilometers per second, carrying away much of the star’s mass as it approaches the end of its short life. WR 134 is expected to eventually collapse in a violent supernova, seeding the interstellar medium with heavy elements.

The complex interplay of gas and dust gives the region its sculpted, almost otherworldly appearance. In this image, the bubble seems to rise from the surrounding filaments like a great cosmic sandworm, earning the nickname “Rise of the Shai-Hulud” after the desert creatures of Dune. Deep narrowband imaging reveals the faint arcs and ripples of past ejections, providing insight into the turbulent history of one of the galaxy’s most energetic stellar phases.