Gallery: Space Photos of the Week: A Nebula Becomes a Butterfly

  • Image may contain Universe Space Astronomy Outer Space and Nebula
    <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/hubble-sees-the-wings-of-a-butterfly-the-twin-jet-nebula"> ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt</a>
    01

    SPoW-Aug23-29-03

    The Twin Jet Nebula has beautiful, illuminated “wings” of gas caused by the last stages of an old star “of low to intermediate mass.” The star’s outer layers are gone, leaving the core exposed and glowing. The Twin Jet Nebula is a bipolar nebula, meaning it contains two stars. Astronomers believe this is the reason for the distinctive wing shape as the dying stars expel gases.
  • Image may contain Universe Space Astronomy Nebula and Outer Space
    <a href="http://www.chandra.si.edu/photo/2015/a1033/">X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ of Hamburg</a>
    02

    SPoW-Aug23-29-02

    Astronomers discovered a “radio phoenix.” They believe two galaxy clusters collided, causing faded electron clouds to come back to life, bursting with radio frequencies.
  • Image may contain Universe Space Astronomy Outer Space Nebula and Nature
    <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/hubble-sees-a-youthful-cluster"> ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt</a>
    03

    SPoW-Aug23-29-04

    Hubble snapped this photo of the globular cluster NGC 1783, one of the biggest in the Large Magellanic Cloud. A globular cluster is where stars are densely held together by their own gravity. Astronomers measure the color and brightness of each star and predict the age of a cluster. NGC 1783 is fairly young at only 1.5 billion years old and has already had two different periods of star formation.
  • Image may contain Light Flare Universe Space Astronomy Night Outdoors Outer Space Nature Moon Sun and Sky
    <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/sdo-images-of-a-mid-level-solar-flare">NASA/SDO</a> mid-level solar flare.
    04

    SPoW-Aug23-29-01

    Photo of a mid-level solar flare on the sun as captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. The flare–the bright spot in the lower portion of the sun–is actually an explosion of radiation. This flare is a M 5.6 class flare, only a tenth the size of the most intense flares.
  • Image may contain Mountain Outdoors Nature Volcano Crater and Texture
    <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/dawn-sends-sharper-scenes-from-ceres">NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA</a>
    05

    SPoW-Aug23-29-05

    The Dawn spacecraft gets an upclose shot of Ceres, a dwarf planet that lies between Jupiter and Mars. The photo reveals a tall, cone-shaped mountain as well as interesting details of the planet’s terrain. Dawn is taking 11 days to take images of Ceres’ entire surface. It will do it six times in the next two months.
Read More
OpenAI’s Rogue AI Agent Hacked More Than Just Hugging Face
In a new disclosure, OpenAI says its agent used exposed logins to gain access to at least four “publicly available services” in its unhinged quest to solve a test.
Dell Cameron
A Typo Landed an Innocent Gamer in Prison for 18 Months
How much could a single underscore in a username really matter? Just ask Brandon Klayme, who served 18 months in prison before realizing how authorities arrested, charged, and convicted the wrong man.
Nate Anderson, Ars Technica
Ebay Has to Pay $55.7 Million in Settlement for Its Unhinged Harassment Campaign
For months on end, eBay employees and contractors made life hell for a couple that had criticized the company. Six years later, the company is finally paying up.
Lauren Goode
Laura Loomer’s Reversal on Ukraine Stirs Up the MAGA Civil War
Donald Trump’s base has been increasingly spilt. Laura Loomer’s sudden embrace of Ukraine has only widened that divide.
David Gilbert
Is the Electric Trike the Next Big Thing in Shared Micromobility?
Veo is launching accessibility-focused electric tricycles in Denver, with plans to put its e-trikes on the streets nationwide.
Boone Ashworth
What WIRED Writers Would Actually Give Their Moms
Your mom never gets you a thoughtless gift, so you shouldn’t get her one, either. Here’s every cool gift WIRED writers would give their mothers.
Nena Farrell
Which Apple Watch Should You Buy?
Should you splurge on the new Series 11, or will the SE 3 do? Let us help you figure out which version to get (and which to avoid).
Boutayna Chokrane
12 Adventurous Gifts for Hikers, Backpackers, and Outdoorsy People
Let them pick out their own hiking boots. Instead, try gifting a useful blade or a nature journal to delight your outdoorsy friend.
Scott Gilbertson
A Two-Person Startup Has Fixed One of the Most Hated Sounds in Modern Life
Beeeep. Beeeep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
Jeremy White
Can the New York Times Save Journalism From Our AI Overlords?
In 2023, the Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement. They’ve since spent more than $20 million on the case, and publisher A.G. Sulzberger has no plans to stop fighting it.
Katie Drummond
Silicon Valley’s Next IPO Billionaires Are Coming. Nonprofits Are Ready for Them
Anthropic and OpenAI employees are expected to give generously after their companies go public. “It’s going to be a wild ride,” says one nonprofit leader.
Paresh Dave
The Dyson V16 Piston Animal Can Do It All
Dyson’s new stick vacuum can vacuum and mop in a single cordless device—if you’re willing to really splurge.
Nena Farrell