Gnarly nebulae: Breathtaking clouds of gas float through space

BUBBLE NEBULA: The remarkably spherical Bubble marks the boundary between an intense wind of particles from the star and the more quiescent interior of the nebula. (NASA, Donald Walter/South Carolina State University/Paul Scowen/ Brian Moore/Arizona State University)

STINGRAY NEBULA: This Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 image captures the infancy of the Stingray nebula (Hen-1357), the youngest known planetary nebula. (Matt Bobrowsky/Orbital Sciences Corporation/NASA)

CARINA NEBULA: Previously unseen details of a mysterious, complex structure within the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) are revealed by this image of the Keyhole Nebula. (NASA/The Hubble Heritage Team/AURA/STScI))

ESKIMO NEBULA: In 2000, Hubble captured a majestic view of a planetary nebula, the glowing remains of a dying, Sun-like star. (NASA/ESA/Andrew Fruchter/ERO)

LAGOON NEBULA: Hubble spots one-half light-year long interstellar "twisters" -- eerie funnels and twisted-rope structures (upper left) -- in the heart of the Lagoon Nebula. (A. Caulet (ST-ECF, ESA)/NASA)

CRAB NEBULA: The remnant of a tremendous stellar explosion gives a look at the dynamic relationship between the tiny Crab Pulsar and the vast nebula that it powers. (Jeff Hester/Paul Scowen (Arizona State University)/NASA)

EAGLE NEBULA: These eerie, dark pillar-like structures are actually columns of cool interstellar hydrogen gas and dust that are also incubators for new stars. (Jeff Hester and Paul Scowen (Arizona State University)/NASA)

PLANETARY NEBULA: This Hubble image reveals the true shape of MyCn18 to be an hourglass with an intricate pattern of "etchings" in its walls. (Raghvendra Sahai and John Trauger (JPL)/NASA)

PAPILLION NEBULA: Hubble's view of a turbulent cauldron of starbirth, called N159, taking place 170,000 light-years away in our satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. (M. Heydari-Malayeri (Paris Observatory)/NASA/ESA)

SOUTHERN CRAB NEBULA: A tempestuous relationship between an unlikely pair of stars may have created an oddly shaped, gaseous nebula that resembles an hourglass within an hourglass. (NASA)

The Helix Nebula is comprised of two colliding gases near a dying star. (Robert O'Dell, Kerry P. Handron/Rice University/NASA)

A glimpse up at the night sky will reveal a seemingly endless landscape of twinkling stars, but there are even more striking formations lurking in the cosmos: nebulae.

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A nebula is a large cloud of gas and dust in space. According to NASA, a nebula often forms in areas where a new star is forming or another star is dying.

VIDEO: Journey into the cosmos to explore nebulae

The gnarly nebulae of the universe

Nebulae come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and are often brilliantly colored masses that take on breathtaking formations, many of which resemble things here on Earth -- think stingrays, bubbles and tornadoes, to name a few.
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Take a look through the gallery above to see some of the most striking nebulae spotted by NASA and other space agencies throughout the years.