Cosmic Pollen?

Nope! This is actually the Tycho Supernova Remnant. It was first discovered by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in 1572 during the peak of its intrinsic brightness. It was so bright in fact that it could be seen during daylight hours with the naked eye that year. Though this is quite a rare stellar treat, another super nova is expected to occur within the next million years that will rival the brightness of our moon. Where should you begin looking for this potentially soon cosmic event? Keep your eyes on the Orion constellation; the red blip Beetlejuice is a super red giant nearing it's eminent demise.

As for the formation of this bizarre 'cosmic pollen grain', scientists postulate it was  one of the two similar methods, both involving a binary star system. The first is known as the Single-degenerative theory. This involves a white dwarf stealing gas from a larger companion star until it reaches approximately 1.4 times the size of the sun. Immense pressure within the thieving white dwarf builds tremendously before erupting into what classifies this as a type 1a supernova. 

The alternate scenario, the double-degenerative theory, results from a violent collision between two white dwarfs. Since merging the mass of these two white dwarfs would also exceed the Chandrasekhar limit (or 1.4 solar masses), a type 1a supernova would be inevitable.