As the material extruded by stars condenses and cools, it grows tighter and denser. Its accumulating gravity draws other nearby material toward it. The friction of colliding material generates heat and causes it to spin.

Before you know it, you’ve got a beautiful nebula floating out in space, forming stunning clouds of hydrogen and helium, and beginning the process of star formation anew.

People who sport nebula tattoos aren’t just into space; they are fascinated with the origins of our galaxy, the near impossibility of the balance of our solar system, the fact that life must exist somewhere in the universe, and the chance that one day, it will spawn again.

Maybe you’re a diffuse nebulae type of guy, with amazing light emissions that following spectral lines from ionized gas. Maybe you’re more into a planetary nebula, replete with defined orbit rings and the possibility of rebirth as another star.

Or maybe the nebula you’re after is really the remains of a supernova, the gas left over from the most powerful explosion of force since the big bang. Whatever nebula design you go for, it will keep your gaze firmly directed at the stars.