The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope celebrates Halloween this year with a striking observation of the carbon star CW Leonis, which resembles a baleful orange eye glaring from behind a shroud of smoke.

CW Leonis glowers from deep within a thick shroud of dust in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Lying roughly 400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo, CW Leonis is a carbon star — a luminous type of red giant star with a carbon-rich atmosphere. The dense clouds of sooty gas and dust engulfing this dying star were created as the outer layers of CW Leonis itself were thrown out into the void.

Credit:

ESA/Hubble & NASA, T. Ueta, H. Kim

Coordinates
Position (RA):  	9 47 57.42
Position (Dec): 	13° 16' 45.09"
Field of view:  	2.39 x 2.12 arcminutes
Orientation:    	North is 157.8° right of vertical

Colours & filters Band	Wavelength	Telescope
Optical V       	606 nm   	Hubble Space Telescope WFC3
Infrared Y      	986 nm   	Hubble Space Telescope WFC3
Optical V       	606 nm   	Hubble Space Telescope WFC3
Optical I       	814 nm   	Hubble Space Telescope WFC3
Optical´I       	814 nm   	Hubble Space Telescope WFC3