Behold the majestic mane of the Lion Nebula | Space photo of the day for August 11, 2026

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning new image of the Lion Nebula, revealing intricate details that earlier observations missed. At its heart sits a white dwarf—the scorching remnant of a dying star—that radiates energy outward, sculpting the surrounding clouds of oxygen-rich gas into what resembles a shimmering cosmic mane. Per Space.com, while the Hubble Space Telescope first glimpsed this nebula in two thousand, JWST's infrared instruments have now revealed dust and gas features never previously seen, giving astronomers a far more accurate picture of this stellar structure. The nebula will continue expanding over time, with astronomers estimating it will eventually dissipate entirely in roughly ten thousand years.

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