Green Ring Nebula

One of those science-outdoing-art pictures popped up recently. Above is a photo from the Spitzer space telescope showing the RCW 120 nebula, nicknamed the Green Ring Nebula. This is a vast cloud of gas and dust about 4,300 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. Stars have recently formed there (title link). From birth to death. Below is an artist's impression of Event Sw 1644+57, a star being sucked into a black hole, detected by the NASA Swift spacecraft's Burst Alert Telescope (CLICK). The star's death sent a burst of radiation towards Earth. Researchers at the University of Warwick believe a passing star was sucked in (CLICK).