Jewel Bug Nebula: The stunning evolution of a dying star

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features one of the most intricate and colorful sights ever captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope - the Jewel Bug Nebula, also known as NGC 7027. For centuries, this small cloud of glowing gas and dust was thought to be quietly shedding the outer layers of its dying star in smooth, symmetrical waves. But recent observations tell a very different story.  The Jewel Bug has started behaving like a cosmic firework, blasting...