The new images show the nebula in both near- and mid-infrared light, revealing a dark channel that runs through the middle of the clouds of gas and dust—just like the longitudinal fissure that separates our brain’s right and left hemispheres. In the nebula, this feature may be caused by jets coming from the dying star, pushing the inner gas out. The outer layer of gas is mostly made up of simple hydrogen, but the inner gas clouds are more complex.