The Spaghetti

The Spaghetti Nebula, SH2-240 or Simeis 147 (and many other names), is a supernova remnant. Behind this seemingly complicated term hides "simply" a stellar corpse. The star, at the end of its life, explodes with phenomenal energy. So great that, for the ground observer, a new very bright star (sometimes even visible in broad daylight) appears. Hence the name supernova which comes from Latin "super" and "novae" which means "new."

This nebula is located in the constellation Taurus (it is also called the Taurus Lace) and its distance to Earth is estimated between 1,000 and 3,000 light-years.

In 1996, a pulsar (one of the possible residues of a supernova) was identified near the center of the nebula of which it is suspected to be the origin.