CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A dying star has never looked so lovely.
The Gemini North Telescope atop Hawaii’s tallest peak, Mauna Kea, captured the star in its last gasps. The image was released Thursday by the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab, which operates the telescope.
It’s actually a binary star system 1,500 light-years away, nicknamed the Crystal Ball Nebula because of the milky white, spherical cloud around it. A light-year is almost 6 trillion miles.
This cloud of gas forms when a star sheds its outer layers near the end of its life. The exposed stellar core heats the cloud to tens of thousands of degrees, giving it an ethereal glow.
Scientists believe one of the planetary nebula’s two orbiting stars — once bigger than our sun — gave up the ghost.
Gemini North last year observed the nebula — formally known as NGC 1514 — and the image was completed in color last week.
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This image provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab on Thursday, May 21, 2026, shows the Crystal Ball Nebula. (NSF NOIRLab via AP)
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — There is a giant stew pot in a small lake in the center of The Hague.
Floating in the water in front of the prestigious Mauritshuis museum, home to the “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” the 7-meter (23-foot)-tall pan is part of monthlong, open-air art exhibition. The BlowUp Jubilee features 24 inflatable artworks installed in parks, on buildings and even in a train station in the Dutch city
The project is the brainchild of curator Mary Hessing. “What I really wanted to do is show the area and show arts to everybody," she told The Associated Press.
In 2021, the Dutch government began a massive renovation project on the Binnenhof complex, which includes the Mauritshuis as well as the Parliament building. The historic site, which dates to the 13th century, was closed to the public and the city wanted to organize art events while it was inaccessible.
The first BlowUp Art exhibition in 2022 included works from six artists, installed near the Binnenhof. Subsequent events also showcased a handful of inflatable works, but for the 2026 jubilee edition, all of the previous installations have returned plus new ones have been added.
“For me it was important to show the real Curacao in this artwork, and that is our parties, our food, and our lifestyle,” artist Eugenie Boon told AP. The 21-year-old is from the former Dutch Caribbean colony and her work, Koncha pa dilanti, referring to a board game played on the island, features scenes from local life.
British artist Steve Messam is known for his large-scale inflatable works that have been installed in locations in the United Kingdom, China and The Hague. Crested, a mass of red spikes, has been affixed on top of the entrance to a parking garage nestled between 100-year-old buildings on a tree-lined boulevard.
“The idea was that this piece would hold its own amongst this wonderful architecture that we see around us,” he said.
BlowUp Jubilee runs until June 21.
Peope walk by an art installation titled Koncha pa dilanti by Eugenie Boon as part of the BlowUp Jubilee Art walk in the Hague, Netherlands, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
A tram passes by an art installation titled Crested by Steve Messam as part of the BlowUp Jubilee Art walk in the Hague, Netherlands, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
A woman takes a selfie in front of an art installation titled Like a pan in the water by Studio Job as part of the BlowUp Jubilee Art walk in the Hague, Netherlands, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
