The brilliant cascade of stars through the middle of this image is the galaxy ESO 318-13 seen by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Although ESO 318-13 is the main focus of this image, it is sandwiched between a collection of bright stars near and far. One that stands out is an extremely bright star that looks like it is within the galaxy. This is a trick of perspective. The star is located in the Milky Way, our own galaxy, and it shines so brightly because it is so much closer to us than ESO 318-13. See https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw1249a/
