“The mysterious gas cloud around a dead star is beautiful, but it shouldn’t be there.”

Views expressed in this science and technology update are those of the reporters and correspondents.

Accessed on 14 January 2026, 2201 UTC.

Content and Source:  “Smithsonian Magazine-Science & Innovation.”

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Researchers were shocked to find a shock wave around a dead star.  (ESO / K. Ilkiewicz and S. Scaringi et al. Background: PanSTARRS)

This Mysterious Gas Cloud Spotted Around a Dead Star Is Beautiful—but Astronomers Say It Shouldn’t Be There

The stellar corpse is spewing star stuff, which is heating and compressing surrounding gas, resulting in a multicolored display. But it’s missing a component thought to be necessary for this phenomenon

Margherita Bassi

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