Spectacular Emission Nebulas Captured in Photos

After a massive star dies, the energy ejected from the colossal explosion forms what is known as a nebula — a ginormous, colorful interstellar cloud of gas and dust. Another beautiful nebula is the Cocoon Nebula, located 4,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus, and captured in a new image by astrophotographer Terry Hancock. The photo shows the glowing red cloud of gas and dust surrounding the central star, which sustains the nebula's life.