Some 3,000 light years away, shimmering layers of gas formed an almost perfect sphere around the faintly glowing, burned-out core of a dead star. The result looks like a giant crystal ball floating in space — and if you stare into it too long, you can almost see a giant cosmic eye staring back. Don’t be fooled by the serene beauty of this image, as those diaphanous clouds of gas are roaring outward at around 112,000 miles an hour.
