A Closer Orion Nebula...

The Corona Australis region is an area of young star formation that nearly three times as close as the much better-known Orion Nebula. At its core is the luminous Coronet cluster. At only 420 light years away, it better allows observers to get a glimpse into the world of a newborn star.

Source: NASA

Image: NASA/CXC/JPL-Caltech/CfA

What the heck is Mira doing?

'Shooting stars' have made a comeback! Mira is hurtling at an astonishing 291,000 mph through the universe, seeding debris that will ultimately cause new stars and solar systems.

This stunning picture is actually a mosaic of several photographs. The "tail" of Mira is nearly 13 light years long. That's the amount of space between Earth and Pluto... 20,000 times!!

Check out the full details of this amazing phenomenon at NASA's official website.