Light echoes around RS Puppis

This time-lapse video uses observations from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope over a number of weeks to show the variable star RS Puppis and its environment. A stunning example of a phenomenon known as a light echo can be seen around the star, creating the illusion of gas clouds expanding out from RS Puppis.

The observations were taken between over a period of five weeks in 2010, and capture the variable star at different stages in its roughly 41-day cycle. The short video is repeated several times to emphasise the light echo mechanism more clearly.