V838 Monocerotis

Variable star V838 Monocerotis has an interstellar dust structure encircling it. After the start of 2002, when V838 Monocerotis brightened dramatically, Hubble was able to take this amazing picture. The variable star was 600,000 times brighter than the sun for a brief period of time (cosmologically speaking, of course). This star brightened from January to April of 2002, and the reason behind the flare is yet unknown. But as a result of the star's brightness, we got this incredible image of a "light echo."

NASA claims that V838 Mon's light "propagates outward. Every new light echo observation produces a distinctive "thin-section" through the surrounding interstellar dust. In other words, even after the star has quieted down, we may still see the star's light as it travels to us reflected on the interstellar gas that surrounds the star. V838 Monocerotis is still one among the Milky Way's brightest stars, though.