Two stars at different stages of their life span showing us different behaviors. The Crescent Nebula is generated by an highly energetic Wolf-Rayet star going into a red giant late stage of life. The star is actively fusing heavy elements blowing out most of the hydrogen and helium from the star’s outer atmosphere. This gives rise to two shock waves interacting together and creating this intricate form of hydrogen and oxygen.
The smaller one is the Soap Bubble Nebula and is a smaller star also at the end of its life span blowing up its upper gaseous shells in the surrounding space. The background of the image is rich in hydrogen and oxygen.