--- 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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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b963a9ff-d669-490f-8de9-ecb89fdf0cd7&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) 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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