Egg Nebula

The Egg Nebula earned its common name from its distinct oval shape when viewed in historical astronomical images. The dense central star is completely hidden behind a thick disk of dust, leaving only a faint, diffuse glow. This asymmetrical, shell-like appearance gave it a striking resemblance to a cosmic egg.

The Egg Nebula is a protoplanetary nebula, which is a very short-lived transitional phase in a star's evolution. It represents the stage where an aging, dying red giant has shed its outer layers but has not yet become hot enough to ionize the gas into a full planetary nebula. The central star is rapidly evolving toward becoming a white dwarf.

The Egg Nebula is located in the northern constellation of Cygnus. It is officially cataloged as RAFGL 2688 (or CRL 2688) and sits roughly 3,000 light-years away from Earth. Because of its distance and faint nature, it requires a highly sensitive telescope to be observed visually.

The Egg Nebula's peculiar properties were first identified in the 1970s by astronomers analyzing data from the Air Force Geophysical Laboratory (AFGL) infrared sky surveys. It was recognized because of its highly unusual, incredibly strong infrared radiation that was invisible to standard optical telescopes of the time. Subsequent studies revealed its true complex, bipolar structure.