7,000 light-years away from Earth lies the „White Eyed Pea Nebula“, a planetary nebula, located in the northern constellation of Hercules. Officially known as IC 4593, the relatively faint nebula cocoons a central star known as HD 145649. A planetary nebula forms when a Sun-like star enters its Red Giant phase, where the outer layers are ejected into space, enveloping the stellar remnant. When the remnant becomes hot enough, it will emit strong radiation, ionizing the surrounding clouds, causing them to glow. Image credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team. #white #eyed #pea #nebula #space #astronomy #universe #nasa #deepspace #exploration #science #stars #hubble #astrophotography #telescope #constellation #darksky #sky #natgeospace #picoftheday #instalike #instafollow #igers #cosmos #physics #interstellar #milkyway #stargazing #lookup #thenakedsingularity by thenakedsingularity