India, Feb. 13 -- A breathtaking new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveals a rare cosmic pairing: the powerful star Hen 2-427, also known as WR 124, and the glowing nebula M1-67 that surrounds it.

Both objects are located in the Sagittarius constellation, roughly 15,000 light-years from Earth.

At the center of the image, Hen 2-427 shines intensely, while clumps of hot gas are being ejected into space at speeds exceeding 93,000 miles per hour (150,000 kilometers per hour). This dramatic expulsion of matter creates a striking spectacle in the surrounding nebula.

What kind of star is Hen 2-427?

Hen 2-427 is classified as a Wolf-Rayet star, a rare and massive type of star named after astronomers Charles Wolf and Georges R...