The Red Square Nebula A cosmic mystery wrapped in perfect symmetry. No one quite knows how a round star could produce something so strikingly square. At the heart of this enigma lies MWC 922 — a star, or perhaps a system of stars, glowing crimson in the center of the Red Square Nebula. This surreal image is a fusion of infrared observations from the Hale Telescope at Palomar Mountain in California and the Keck II Telescope in Hawai‘i. What we see may be the result of powerful outflows of gas — twin cones ejected during the dying stages of the central star’s life. Viewed edge-on, those cones form nearly perfect right angles, creating the illusion of a glowing red square suspended in space. Look closer, and you’ll spot faint radial lines — possible traces along the inner walls of these cones, hinting at structure within the mystery. Scientists speculate that, seen from another angle, this nebula might resemble the famous rings of Supernova 1987A… a haunting suggestion that MWC 922 may someday end in a similar explosive finale. In a universe full of circles and spirals, the Red Square Nebula stands defiantly alone.