Mаgісаl іmаgeѕ of ѕtаrѕ іn the unіverѕe

The Necklace Nebula (IC 1342) is located in the constellation Sagitta, about 15,000 light-years from Earth. It sparkles like a string of pearls in the dark of space. The nebula is created by two stars orbiting each other at close proximity. About 10,000 years ago, the larger star “ate” its companion, causing the smaller star to move in orbit within the larger star. The image looks like a ring because of the centrifugal force that distributes the gas around the star’s equator. Photo: NASA

The Heart Nebula (IC 1805) is part of the constellation Cassiopeia, located in the Perseus arm of the Milky Way galaxy, about 7,500 light-years from Earth. It is an emission nebula with a heart-shaped appearance, with red light emanating from within. The length of the Heart Nebula is about 200 light-years. Photo: Michelle Starr/Daniel Marquardt

The Soul Nebula lies to the east of the Heart Nebula. Inside it, some of its open clusters contain many different generations of stars: the older stars lie in the nebula’s central region (red), while the younger stars lie in the outer rim (green). Photo: UCLA

NGC 2237 is a cosmic cloud that evokes the image of a rose. It is located in the constellation Monoceros, about 5,200 light-years from Earth. The core of the nebula is a young cluster of stars about 4 million years old. Photo: Wikipedia

Two galaxies, UGC 1810 and UGC 1813, are gravitationally attracted to each other as they move too close together, creating an image of a giant rose in the universe. Photo: NASA

The Coma Berenices constellation contains faint stars around the north pole of the Milky Way. This is one of the few constellations named after a real person (Queen Berenice II of Egypt), rather than a mythological character. Photo: NASA

Venus is one of the brightest objects in the sky (after the Sun and the Moon). It can be seen with the naked eye in the middle of the day. The star is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty Venus. Photo: Jimmy Westlake/NASA