10 stunning images of stars shared by NASA

NASA’s SOFIA observatory captured the magnetic field streamlines shown in this image of the Keyhole Nebula, which lies within the larger Carina Nebula.

Astronomers stitched together multiple images from the Hubble Space Telescope to create this stunning view of the Pillars of Creation, towering approximately 5 light-years high.

This image blends data from four space telescopes to produce a multi-wavelength view of RCW 86 — the oldest recorded supernova remnant.

A supernova marks the death of a star, unleashing an explosion so bright it can outshine an entire galaxy.

At the heart of this Chandra image is a pulsar just twelve miles wide, powering an X-ray nebula that stretches across 150 light-years.

This mosaic of the Heart and Soul nebulae was captured by NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission.

Thanks to new data from NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), scientists are uncovering the mystery behind the explosion of Cassiopeia A.

U Camelopardalis, or U Cam, is a star approaching the final stage of its life. As stars exhaust their fuel, they grow increasingly unstable.

New data from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is helping scientists unravel the mystery of how Cassiopeia A exploded.

This image from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory reveals the locations of various elements in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant, including silicon (red), sulfur (yellow), calcium (green), and iron (purple).

This image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope captures the Cat’s Paw Nebula, named for its large, rounded shapes that resemble a cat’s footprint.

A new composite image of the Crab Nebula combines X-rays captured by Chandra (shown in blue and white), optical data from Hubble (purple), and infrared data from Spitzer (pink).

Credit: NASA