... A mere 50 light-years away, young star Beta Pictoris became one of the most important stars in the sky in the early 1980s. Satellite and ground-based telescopic observations revealed the presence of a surrounding.. ... Of course, that string is a cosmic trail of gas, dust, and stars about 22,000 light-years long. ... Fast Gas Bullet from Cosmic Blast N49 . ... Trees, Sky, Galactic Eye . ... Is beauty in the eye of this beholder? ... All the Colors of the Sun . ... The Starry Night of Alamut . ...