It takes more than a candle to light this cosmic pumpkin. 🎃 In this infrared image from our NASA_Spitzer Space Telescope, a massive star in the center of a cloud of dust and gas creates what researchers have nicknamed the "Jack-o-lantern Nebula." ⁣ ⁣ Powerful outflows of radiation and particles from a massive star — known as an O-type star and about 15 to 20 times heavier than the Sun — has likely swept the surrounding dust and gas outward, creating deep gouges in the cloud. The red wavelength is more pronounced in this high-contrast image, highlighting contours in the dust as well as the densest regions of the nebula, which appear brightest. ⁣ ⁣ Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech⁣ ⁣ #halloween #spitzerspacetelescope #cosmic #pumpkin #jackolantern #nebula⁣