# @europeanspaceagency on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DPWk8BCDPGE
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/35581656-europeanspaceagency-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/e45a2acc84.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-10-03T15:51:40.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** J.L.Lopez (@xandler80) — https://gondola.cc/xandler80

## Caption

A smile written in starlight ✨

For World Smile Day (3 October), here’s a reminder that the Universe has its own way of beaming back at us.

This glittering scene shows Pismis 24, a young star cluster at the heart of the Lobster Nebula, 5500 light-years away in Scorpius.

What looks like a rugged, glowing landscape is in fact a cosmic dust-scape being carved apart by fierce winds and radiation from massive, newborn stars. Among them is Pismis 24-1 — once thought to be the most massive star ever seen, and now known to be at least two enormous stars bound together.

Captured by @esawebb, thousands of jewel-like stars sparkle across the view, with towering orange spires and wisps of gas sculpted into fantastic shapes by stellar energy.

A cosmic smile — reminding us that even in the vastness of space, light and joy can take shape.

📸 @NASA, @europeanspaceagency, @canadianspaceagency, @space_telescopes; @creativecommons CC BY 4.0
📹 NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)
📹 NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, @hubbleesa, CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, Digitized Sky Survey 2, E. Slawik, N. Risinger, D. De Martin, D. Minniti, T.A. Rector, J. Miller, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)

## Stats

- **Views:** 12,399
- **Likes:** 13,082
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 41

## Credits

These are the roles credited on Gondola. Credits may be incomplete.
A brand, account owner, or featured person is not necessarily the creator.

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ESA - European Space Agency | @europeanspaceagency | https://gondola.cc/europeanspaceagency | Government Organization |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Producer |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Editor |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Social Media Manager |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Publisher |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Copywriter |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Community Manager |

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