--- title: Hubble Telescope Captures Dying 'Rotten Egg' Star description: NASA and the European Space Agency's Hubble Telescope has captured a rare image that shows the spectacular death of a star. canonical: https://time.com/4662484/nasa-hubble-telescope-rotten-egg-star/ author: Kate Samuelson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-02-07T15:19:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T10:41:48.783Z article:section: Science og:title: Hubble Telescope Captures Image of Dying 'Rotten Egg' Star og:description: The nebula contains a lot of sulphur og:url: https://time.com/4662484/nasa-hubble-telescope-rotten-egg-star/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb59ad67d84e5e727/6988b917097b90a9f99b8cc5/calabash-nebula.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: The Calabash clash og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Hubble Telescope Captures Image of Dying 'Rotten Egg' Star twitter:description: The nebula contains a lot of sulphur twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb59ad67d84e5e727/6988b917097b90a9f99b8cc5/calabash-nebula.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # NASA's Hubble Telescope Captures Rare Image of Dying 'Rotten Egg' Star > Sponsored content. 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It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Feb 7, 2017 3:19 PM UTC  The Calabash Nebula, pictured here — which has the technical name OH 231.8+04.2 — is a spectacular example of the death of a low-mass star like the Sun. The Calabash Nebula, pictured here — which has the technical name OH 231.8+04.2 — is a spectacular example of the death of a low-mass star like the Sun. ESA/Hubble/NASA by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Feb 7, 2017 3:19 PM UTC [NASA](http://time.com/4626693/earth-moon-from-mars-nasa-image/) and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Hubble Space Telescope has captured a rare image that shows the spectacular death of a star. The dying star can be seen transforming from a red giant to a planetary nebula called the Calabash Nebula, technically known as 231.8+04.2, according to the [ESA.](https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2017/hubble-captures-brilliant-star-death-in-rotten-egg-nebula) During this transformation, the dying star blows its outer layers of gas and dust out into the surrounding space at a speed close to 621,371 miles per hour. The nebula is also known as the Rotten Egg Nebula, the ESA reports, because it contains a lot of sulphur, which smells like rotten egg when it combines with other elements. Luckily, as the nebula resides over 5,000 light-years away in the constellation of Puppis, humans don’t need to worry about the stench. The star’s death occurs “within the blink of an eye — in astronomical terms,” according to the ESA, which explains why this kind of photo is hard to come by. 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