Nebulae are some of the most beautiful sights in space, and this photo from NASA's Hubble telescope shows one of the rarest ones causing a massive shock wave. Along with planets and stars, nebulae are a regular occurrence in outer space. They're extremely hot clouds of dust and gas, often reaching temperatures around 10,000 degrees Celsius. Nebulae are massive, often gorgeous to look at, and are also where new stars are regularly born.

Whether it be nebulae or anything else in space, Hubble is one of the best instruments available for capturing these things. Hubble's photographed mysterious blue gasses, creepy dying stars, and galaxies that appear to be 'dancing' with each other. The mysteries of space are never-ending, but Hubble has helped get humanity closer to understanding as much as we can.

Related: Hubble Caught Two Galaxies 'Dancing,' And It's Incredible

Looking to prove Hubble's prowess once more, NASA shared the above photo on November 24. While exploring the NGC 1977 nebula, Hubble came across something it doesn't see very often — a Herbig-Haro object creating a massive shockwave in the depths of space. As seen above, the image shows a huge dust cloud soaring trough the emptiness around it. The tips of the cloud have a stark white color with a blue outline, while the base has a muted red hue.

What Caused This Nebula Shock Wave

Rare nebula sending a shock wave through space
Photo credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Bally (University of Colorado at Boulder)

Let's break down what's going on here. In NASA's own words, a Herbig-Haro object is a "rarely seen type of nebula that occurs when hot gas ejected by a newborn star collides with the gas and dust around it." This collision happens at hundreds of miles per second, and upon impact, creates the bright shock waves seen above. All of the blue in the image represents ionized oxygen, while the purple hues are ionized magnesium.

The NGC 1977 nebula Hubble found this Herbig-Haro object in is part of a family of three nearby nebulae — collectively referred to as 'The Running Man.' NGC 1977 and its siblings are all known as reflection nebulae. Instead of emitting their own light, these nebulae take the light from nearby stars and reflect it.

If anything, photos like this just go to show the countless intricacies of our universe. One day, NASA shares a Hubble photo of a dark nebula causing stars to disappear. A few days later, an image like this shows a different type of nebula blasting huge amounts of gas through space. Regardless if you're enthralled with astronomy or casually interested in it, there's no denying how impressive that is.

Next: Hubble Just Visited The Solar System's Outer Planets

Source: NASA