This is a photo of the light echo from V838 Mon, a seriously strange star about 20,000 light years from Sol. This stellar anomaly began its life as a star very comparable to the sun. In 2002 this star emitted a bright flash, making it the brightest star in the galaxy for a brief amount of time. Typically, this only happens when a star goes supernova, but this star was too small to result in s supernova and too young to be dying. In 2003, it was decided that the star is now a supergiant star. This is the only star known to have evolved into a different class, and its existence defies our understanding of the nature of stars. Although it may appear similar to a supernova, especially in the above photo, what’s happening is that the light from the star bright transformation is illuminating massive clouds of dust surrounding it, forming what we call a “light echo”, as the light echos out much like ripples in a pond. A light echo is essentially a type of atypical reflection nebula.



