Clash of the Calabash Nebula

Located in the constellation PUPPIS the Stern Deck (Poop Deck), the Calabash Nebula — more colloquially known as the Rotten Egg Nebula due to its sulfuric stench — recently made headlines for its relatively rapid transition into a full-fledged planetary nebula. In about 1,000 years (virtually seconds in astronomical time), this nebula will complete its transition into a possibly spherical or ring-like planetary nebula. Celestial dust and gas is currently being propelled outward from a dying star, which is a low-mass one like the Sun and was once a red giant. This newest image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows a brighter area of expelled material compared to images captured in previous years.