Helix Nebula

Every nebula, like this beauty, is the remnant of a supernovae - the event when a star of a certain density collapses on itself, and then explodes. If the star is really big, this event will leave behind a nebula with a neutron star at the center; if it's really, really big, the nebula will swiftly be eaten by the black hole that is created instead.

Stars explode because they've used up all their fuel for fusion - this happens as the star converts hydrogen to helium, helium to lithium, and so on till it hits the mid point of our reality: Iron. Iron doesn't easily give into fusion, so the process stops at iron, and since Iron is the heaviest of all these elements created so far, it sinks to the center of the star. And builds, and builds, and builds till you have a truly odd creature: A star with a massive iron core (an iron core far bigger than the earth, for perspective). Soon enough, this iron core cannot be supported, and it collapses on itself, triggering the supernova. In the supernova, and ONLY in supernovas, are the rest of the elements created, such as Gold, Silver, Tin, Lead, Mercury, etc. 

Our Sun, and everything in our solar system, emerged from a supernova some 5 billion years ago. And so it goes with all nebula - they are the birthplaces of stars and planets. Creation - Destruction - Creation etc.