This twisting, gossamer structure spotted by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is located 2,400 light-years from us, within the constellation Cygnus. It is a cloud of sorts, composed of a mixture of dust and solar material flung out into Space some 10,000 to 20,000 years ago, when a dying star went supernova. The interstellar cloud is a remnant of that enormous explosion, revealing a blast wave still travelling outwards at 220 miles per second (350 kilometres per second). While incredible forces are at play over unimaginable scales, the cloud is as delicate in appearance as a tiny ribbon of fine, golden silk.

ESA/Hubble & NASA, W. Blair; acknowledgment: Leo Shatz