NASA's post accumulated more than 577,000 likes.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) regularly captures stunning images of our universe, leaving space lovers mesmerized. The Instagram handle of the US space agency is a treasure trove for those who love to watch educational videos and fascinating images showcasing Earth and space. Now, in its recent post, NASA shared an old festive image resembling a holiday wreath made of sparkling lights. The image, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, shows a glittering star located 6,500 light-years away.
"A cosmic wreath of sparkling lights. This @NASAHubble image shows a glittering star 10 times more massive than our Sun, located 6,500 light-years away. Bright southern hemisphere star RS Puppis is swaddled in a gossamer cocoon of reflective dust," NASA wrote in the caption of the post.
Take a look below:
According to NASA's blog, the star, RS Puppis, is one of the most luminous in the class of so-called Cepheid variable stars. Its average intrinsic brightness is 15,000 times greater than the Sun's luminosity, the space agency said.
The image shows the bright star at the centre of the picture, illuminating a large surrounding cloud of gas and dust. Bright light from the star also appears to radiate horizontal line and vertical lines across the image. In the background, many more stars and cosmic objects are visible against the blackness of deep space.
NASA shared the image just a few hours ago and since then it has accumulated more than 577,000 likes and several reactions. In the comments section, while some users called the picture beautiful, others called it unbelievable.
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"Space is just incredible," wrote one user. "Woww... our universe is perfect... Thank you NASA for sharing these incredible images and information about this vast stellar expanse. I love you NASA," said another.
"Perfect ornament for this season. Happy Holidays, everyone!" expressed a third user. "Amidst the vast cosmic canvas, RS Puppis stands as a celestial masterpiece, weaving a radiant tapestry of light across the universe's infinite gallery," commented a fourth user.
Meanwhile, last week, NASA also shared a stunning image of galaxy UGC 8091 that resembles a "sparkly snow globe". This galaxy is located 7 million light-years away in the Virgo constellation and it adds a touch of cosmic festivity ahead of Christmas. UGC 8091 is not just irregular but also a dwarf galaxy, which is significantly smaller than giants like the Milky Way.