An Exploding Star

Below is a timelapse video of the exploding star V838 Monocerotis taken by the Hubble Space telescope from 2002 to 2006.

From the video’s notes…

The unusual variable star V838 Monocerotis (V838 Mon) continues to puzzle astronomers. This previously inconspicuous star underwent an outburst early in 2002, during which it temporarily increased in brightness to become 600,000 times more luminous than our Sun. Light from this sudden eruption is illuminating the interstellar dust surrounding the star, producing the most spectacular “light echo” in the history of astronomy.