At the heart of the Dragon’s Egg Nebula lies its brilliant core, a striking planetary nebula surrounding a massive O-type star. This luminous star, some 40 times the mass of our Sun, has shed vast amounts of gas into the surrounding region, sculpting a glowing, bubble-like structure seen here in vivid blues and reds. The delicate arcs and filaments trace shock fronts where stellar winds collide with older ejected material.

The Dragon’s Egg is found in the constellation Norma, about 4,200 light-years away. Though it resembles a planetary nebula, it is the product of an enormous, short-lived star rather than a dying Sun-like one. Eventually, this star will end its life in a violent supernova, enriching the interstellar medium even further. Until then, its radiant core continues to shine as the centerpiece of one of the southern sky’s most intricate nebulae.