Light echoes around RS Puppis
This time-lapse video uses observations from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope over a number of weeks to show the variable star RS Puppis and its environment. A stunning example of a phenomenon known as a light echo can be seen around the star, creating the illusion of gas clouds expanding out from RS Puppis.
The observations were taken between over a period of five weeks in 2010, and capture the variable star at different stages in its roughly 41-day cycle. The short video is repeated several times to emphasise the light echo mechanism more clearly.
Credit:NASA, ESA, G. Bacon (STScI), the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and H. Bond (STScI and Pennsylvania State University)