The Hubble Space Telescope caught one spectacular show as the outburst of a supermassive star glows in bright, exploding fireworks.

The star, called Eta Carinae, first erupted 170 years ago and was the second-brightest star in our sky for a little more than a decade. However, over time, the star has slowly faded and become harder to see with the naked eye.

Hubble has observed the star for 25 years, according to a statement by NASA. Most recently, astronomers used its Wide Field Camera 3 to map the ultraviolet light glow of magnesium embedded in warm gas and found the gas in places where it had not been before.

more at space.com