Galaxy brain moment Because of its appearance, this nebula has been nicknamed the Exposed Cranium nebula. Imaged by NASAWebb, this nebula is located around 5,000 light-years away in the Vela constellation. The shape and appearance of the Exposed Cranium nebula come from a dying star at its center. In the end stages of a star's life cycle, it expels its outer layers. The "skull" portion of the nebula is the gas that was shed first, containing mostly hydrogen gas. The inner cloud, or "brain" portion, is a mix of different gases. The appearance of two "brain hemispheres" might be due to how the central star is blowing off gas, which often occurs as twin jets bursting in opposite directions. Image description: A shell of ghostly gas encapsulates a cloud of amber-colored gases that blow out in both directions from a central point. This makes the nebula look like a top-down view of two brain hemispheres inside a transparent skull. The scene is decorated with multicolor dots of light, re...