diff --git a/data/game.json b/data/game.json
index 7c41bca..ec8b284 100644
--- a/data/game.json
+++ b/data/game.json
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
     "colors": ["#ffffff", "#b9c6ff", "#8090b8"]
   },
   "nebula": {
-    "_comment": "The nebula GAS layer — soft coloured clouds BEHIND the art (depth 3: above the starfield's 0–2, below the planets at 5 and the ship at 10). Shown only on nebula-type systems, tinted with the system's own atmosphere color (SystemGenerator stamps content.atmosphere.color from this palette). palette = the 8 nebula shades; one is assigned at random to each system at galaxy generation (deterministic per seed). count/alpha/size/parallax/drift tune the look — keep it subtle: a wash of colour, not a wall of it. shapes = how many distinct cloud puffs to vary between (so it doesn't read as one image repeated). texture.* drives each puff (fbm value-noise for structure, wide radial falloff so it has no hard edge).",
+    "_comment": "The nebula GAS — soft coloured clouds in TWO layers. BACK (depth 3, above the starfield's 0–2, below the planets at 5 and the ship at 10): the flat keys below, tinted with the system's own atmosphere color (SystemGenerator stamps content.atmosphere.color from this palette). FRONT (depth 11, ABOVE the ship): the 'front' block — big, soft veils that drift PAST you (parallax > 1 = closer than the art), tinted with a DERIVED accent (accent.hueShift rotates the base hue, lightScale lifts it, satScale rescales it) so every nebula is a two-tone gas. Shown only on nebula-type systems. palette = the 8 nebula shades; one is assigned at random to each system at galaxy generation (deterministic per seed). count/alpha/size/parallax/drift tune the BACK layer — keep it subtle: a wash of colour, not a wall of it. front.enabled = false reverts to the single back layer. shapes = how many distinct cloud puffs to vary between (so it doesn't read as one image repeated). texture.* drives each puff (fbm value-noise for structure, wide radial falloff so it has no hard edge).",
     "enabled": true,
     "palette": ["#f0884a", "#ecd23e", "#4fe08a", "#3fd6d6", "#5b9bf2", "#9a7ff5", "#e06fe0", "#f25f7a"],
     "count": 6,
@@ -25,6 +25,15 @@
     "size": [420, 900],
     "parallax": [0.10, 0.22],
     "drift": 2.5,
+    "front": {
+      "enabled": true,
+      "count": 4,
+      "alpha": [0.07, 0.15],
+      "size": [700, 1400],
+      "parallax": [1.05, 1.4],
+      "drift": 4,
+      "accent": { "hueShift": 42, "satScale": 1, "lightScale": 1.12 }
+    },
     "shapes": 3,
     "texture": { "size": 256, "octaves": 4, "persistence": 0.55 }
   },
diff --git a/dev/nebula.test.mjs b/dev/nebula.test.mjs
index 5950295..51b31a1 100644
--- a/dev/nebula.test.mjs
+++ b/dev/nebula.test.mjs
@@ -13,7 +13,18 @@
  *   - the CLOUD TEXTURE (js/visuals/NebulaAtmosphere.js → drawCloud): a
  *     valid alpha channel (some opaque gas, not empty), faded at the edges
  *     (center denser than the rim), white RGB (tint sets the color), and
- *     deterministic (two renders are byte-identical).
+ *     deterministic (two renders are byte-identical);
+ *   - the FRONT ACCENT (js/utils/Color.js → shiftHue): the near layer's
+ *     tint is the base hue rotated by the configured hueShift, lightness
+ *     lifted (lightScale), saturation preserved (satScale 1); identity,
+ *     white/black preservation, and a valid distinct accent for all 8
+ *     palette shades;
+ *   - the TWO-LAYER STRUCTURE (NebulaAtmosphere.create/update/destroy):
+ *     back clouds at depth 3 in the base tint with far parallax (<1),
+ *     front clouds at depth 11 (ABOVE the ship) in the accent tint with
+ *     near parallax (>1), sizes/alphas in the configured ranges, clouds
+ *     wrapped into the camera window on flight, slow self-swirl, clean
+ *     destroy, and front.enabled=false reverting to the single back layer.
  */
 
 import './phaser-loader.mjs'; // ../vendor/phaser.js -> ./phaser-stub.mjs (Node only)
@@ -36,9 +47,12 @@ for (const f of fs.readdirSync(dataDir)) {
 config.init(configData);
 
 const { Galaxy } = await import(pathToFileURL(join(__dirname, '../js/galaxy/Galaxy.js')).href);
-const { drawCloud } = await import(
+const { drawCloud, NebulaAtmosphere } = await import(
   pathToFileURL(join(__dirname, '../js/visuals/NebulaAtmosphere.js')).href
 );
+const { shiftHue, toColor, toCss } = await import(
+  pathToFileURL(join(__dirname, '../js/utils/Color.js')).href
+);
 
 let failures = 0;
 const check = (label, cond) => {
@@ -70,6 +84,34 @@ function hueOf(hex) {
   return hue < 0 ? hue + 360 : hue;
 }
 
+/** HSL of a color (number 0xRRGGBB or hex string) → { h: 0–360, s: 0–1, l: 0–1 } */
+function hslOf(c) {
+  let n;
+  if (typeof c === 'number') n = c >>> 0;
+  else {
+    let h = String(c).trim().replace(/^#/, '');
+    if (h.length === 3) h = h.split('').map((ch) => ch + ch).join('');
+    n = parseInt(h, 16);
+  }
+  const r = ((n >> 16) & 255) / 255;
+  const g = ((n >> 8) & 255) / 255;
+  const b = (n & 255) / 255;
+  const max = Math.max(r, g, b);
+  const min = Math.min(r, g, b);
+  const d = max - min;
+  const l = (max + min) / 2;
+  const s = d === 0 ? 0 : d / (1 - Math.abs(2 * l - 1));
+  let h = 0;
+  if (d !== 0) {
+    if (max === r) h = ((g - b) / d) % 6;
+    else if (max === g) h = (b - r) / d + 2;
+    else h = (r - g) / d + 4;
+    h *= 60;
+    if (h < 0) h += 360;
+  }
+  return { h, s, l };
+}
+
 // A headless 2-D context just enough for drawCloud (it only uses
 // createImageData / putImageData). drawCloud fills the buffer we hand it.
 function renderCloud(w, h, tex) {
@@ -230,6 +272,149 @@ let identical = buf.length === buf2.length;
 if (identical) for (let i = 0; i < buf.length; i++) if (buf[i] !== buf2[i]) { identical = false; break; }
 check('texture is deterministic (two renders byte-identical)', identical);
 
+// =========================================================================
+// 4. FRONT ACCENT (shiftHue — the near layer's derived tint)
+// =========================================================================
+console.log('\n— Front accent (Color.shiftHue) —');
+
+const accentCfg = nebulaCfg.front?.accent ?? {};
+const HUE_SHIFT = accentCfg.hueShift ?? 42;
+const SAT_SCALE = accentCfg.satScale ?? 1;
+const LIGHT_SCALE = accentCfg.lightScale ?? 1.12;
+
+const baseColor = toColor('#f0884a');
+const accent = shiftHue(baseColor, { hueShift: HUE_SHIFT, satScale: SAT_SCALE, lightScale: LIGHT_SCALE });
+
+const hueDelta = (() => {
+  // expected: hue(accent) − hue(base) ≡ +HUE_SHIFT (mod 360)
+  const d = (hslOf(accent).h - hslOf(baseColor).h + 360) % 360;
+  const want = HUE_SHIFT % 360;
+  return Math.min(Math.abs(d - want), 360 - Math.abs(d - want));
+})();
+check(`hue rotated by the configured ${HUE_SHIFT}° (±3°)`, hueDelta <= 3);
+check(`lightness lifted by lightScale ${LIGHT_SCALE}`, hslOf(accent).l > hslOf(baseColor).l);
+check(`saturation preserved (satScale ${SAT_SCALE})`, Math.abs(hslOf(accent).s - hslOf(baseColor).s) <= 0.05);
+
+// Identity: no shift ⇒ same color (float round-trip, ±1 per channel).
+const identity = shiftHue(0x3f6fa0, {});
+const chanDiff = (a, b, shift) => Math.abs(((a >> shift) & 255) - ((b >> shift) & 255));
+check('identity round-trip keeps the color (±1/channel)',
+  chanDiff(0x3f6fa0, identity, 16) <= 1 && chanDiff(0x3f6fa0, identity, 8) <= 1 && chanDiff(0x3f6fa0, identity, 0) <= 1);
+
+// Grays keep their gray: white stays white, black stays black.
+check('white and black are preserved',
+  shiftHue(0xffffff, { hueShift: 42, lightScale: 1.12 }) === 0xffffff &&
+  shiftHue(0x000000, { hueShift: 42, lightScale: 1.12 }) === 0x000000);
+
+// Every palette shade yields a VALID accent that is DISTINCT from its base
+// (a 42° shift can't collide) and keeps saturation sane.
+let accentsOk = true;
+for (const shade of palette) {
+  const b2 = toColor(shade);
+  const a2 = shiftHue(b2, { hueShift: HUE_SHIFT, satScale: SAT_SCALE, lightScale: LIGHT_SCALE });
+  if (a2 < 0 || a2 > 0xffffff || a2 === b2) accentsOk = false;
+  const hl = hslOf(a2);
+  if (hl.l < 0 || hl.l > 1) accentsOk = false;
+}
+check('all 8 palette shades → valid, distinct accents', accentsOk);
+console.log(`      base ${toCss(baseColor)} → accent ${toCss(accent)}  (Δhue vs the expected +${HUE_SHIFT}°: ${hueDelta.toFixed(1)}°)`);
+
+// =========================================================================
+// 5. TWO-LAYER STRUCTURE (create / update / destroy)
+// =========================================================================
+console.log('\n— Two-layer structure (NebulaAtmosphere) —');
+
+// A minimal fake scene: just enough surface for create()/update()/destroy()
+// (scale, cameras, add.image, textures, time). canvasTexture needs a
+// document.createElement canvas — stub it (the draw is a no-op here; the
+// TEXTURE math is already covered in section 3).
+function makeFakeScene() {
+  const images = [];
+  const fakeCtx = {
+    createImageData: (w, h) => ({ width: w, height: h, data: new Uint8ClampedArray(w * h * 4) }),
+    putImageData: () => {},
+  };
+  globalThis.document = {
+    createElement: () => ({ width: 0, height: 0, getContext: () => fakeCtx }),
+  };
+  const makeImage = (x, y, key) => {
+    const o = { x, y, key, scale: 1, alpha: 1, rotation: 0, depth: 0, tint: 0, destroyed: false };
+    o.setScale = (v) => ((o.scale = v), o);
+    o.setAlpha = (v) => ((o.alpha = v), o);
+    o.setRotation = (v) => ((o.rotation = v), o);
+    o.setDepth = (v) => ((o.depth = v), o);
+    o.setTint = (v) => ((o.tint = v), o);
+    o.destroy = () => (o.destroyed = true);
+    images.push(o);
+    return o;
+  };
+  return {
+    images,
+    scale: { width: 1280, height: 720 },
+    cameras: { main: { scrollX: 1000, scrollY: 500 } },
+    time: { now: 0 },
+    textures: { exists: () => false, addCanvas: () => {} },
+    add: { image: makeImage },
+  };
+}
+
+const scene = makeFakeScene();
+const neb = new NebulaAtmosphere(scene, '#f0884a', nebulaCfg);
+neb.create();
+
+const M = 120; // = MARGIN in NebulaAtmosphere.js
+const back = scene.images.filter((o) => o.depth === 3);
+const front = scene.images.filter((o) => o.depth === 11);
+
+check(`back layer: cfg.count (${nebulaCfg.count}) clouds at depth 3`, back.length === nebulaCfg.count);
+check(`front layer: cfg.front.count (${nebulaCfg.front?.count}) clouds at depth 11 (above the ship)`,
+  front.length === (nebulaCfg.front?.count ?? 0));
+check('back tint = the base atmosphere color', back.every((o) => o.tint === baseColor));
+const expectedAccent = shiftHue(baseColor, { hueShift: HUE_SHIFT, satScale: SAT_SCALE, lightScale: LIGHT_SCALE });
+check('front tint = the derived accent (shiftHue of the base)', front.every((o) => o.tint === expectedAccent));
+check('back parallax < 1 (far gas, slower than the world)', back.every((o) => o.parallax > 0 && o.parallax < 1));
+check('front parallax > 1 (near gas, drifts past the world)',
+  front.every((o) => o.parallax > 1) && front.every((o) => o.parallax <= (nebulaCfg.front?.parallax?.[1] ?? 1.4) + 1e-9));
+check('front alpha within cfg.front.alpha',
+  front.every((o) => o.alpha >= (nebulaCfg.front?.alpha?.[0] ?? 0.07) - 1e-9 && o.alpha <= (nebulaCfg.front?.alpha?.[1] ?? 0.15) + 1e-9));
+check('front clouds are the BIG puffs (cfg.front.size range)',
+  front.every((o) => o.scale * 256 >= (nebulaCfg.front?.size?.[0] ?? 700) - 1 && o.scale * 256 <= (nebulaCfg.front?.size?.[1] ?? 1400) + 1));
+check('all clouds start inside the camera window (+margin)',
+  scene.images.every((o) =>
+    o.x >= 1000 - M - 1e-6 && o.x < 1000 + 1280 + M + 1e-6 &&
+    o.y >= 500 - M - 1e-6 && o.y < 500 + 720 + M + 1e-6));
+
+// drift wiring: rotSpeed = drift × [0.0012, 0.0036] rad/s (drift 2.5 ⇒ the
+// original 0.003–0.009; the front layer runs its own drift).
+const inRot = (o, drift) => Math.abs(o.rotSpeed) >= drift * 0.0012 - 1e-12 && Math.abs(o.rotSpeed) <= drift * 0.0036 + 1e-12;
+check('back swirl speed scaled by cfg.drift', back.every((o) => inRot(o, nebulaCfg.drift ?? 2.5)));
+check('front swirl speed scaled by cfg.front.drift', front.every((o) => inRot(o, nebulaCfg.front?.drift ?? nebulaCfg.drift ?? 2.5)));
+
+// Self-swirl over the scene clock (frame-safe, ms-based).
+scene.time.now = 500;
+neb.update();
+check('clouds self-swirl over the scene clock', scene.images.some((o) => Math.abs(o.rotation - o.baseRotation) > 1e-6));
+
+// Camera flight: the gas stays wrapped into the live view window.
+scene.cameras.main.scrollX += 3000;
+neb.update();
+const newLeft = 1000 + 3000 - M;
+const spanX = 1280 + 2 * M;
+check('camera flight keeps the gas wrapped in view',
+  scene.images.every((o) => o.x >= newLeft - 1e-6 && o.x < newLeft + spanX + 1e-6));
+
+// Clean teardown (scene jump / system change).
+neb.destroy();
+check('destroy() removes every cloud', scene.images.every((o) => o.destroyed) && neb.clouds.length === 0);
+
+// The REVERT path: front.enabled = false → the single back layer, as before.
+const scene2 = makeFakeScene();
+const cfgNoFront = { ...nebulaCfg, front: { ...(nebulaCfg.front ?? {}), enabled: false } };
+const neb2 = new NebulaAtmosphere(scene2, '#5b9bf2', cfgNoFront);
+neb2.create();
+check('front.enabled=false reverts to the single back layer',
+  scene2.images.length === nebulaCfg.count && scene2.images.every((o) => o.depth === 3));
+
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 console.log(failures === 0 ? '\nAll nebula tests passed ✔' : `\n${failures} test(s) FAILED ✘`);
 process.exit(failures === 0 ? 0 : 1);
diff --git a/dev/phaser-stub.mjs b/dev/phaser-stub.mjs
index 787529c..be7a1d5 100644
--- a/dev/phaser-stub.mjs
+++ b/dev/phaser-stub.mjs
@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ export default {
   Math: {
     Clamp: (v, a, b) => Math.min(b, Math.max(a, v)),
     Linear: (a, b, t) => a + (b - a) * t,
+    Between: (a, b) => a + Math.floor(Math.random() * (b - a + 1)),
+    FloatBetween: (a, b) => a + Math.random() * (b - a),
     Angle: {
       Wrap: (a) => a,
       RotateTo: (c, w, s) => (Math.abs(w - c) <= s ? w : c + Math.sign(w - c) * s),
diff --git a/docs/PROJECT_NOTES.md b/docs/PROJECT_NOTES.md
index eefcbf8..373fd04 100644
--- a/docs/PROJECT_NOTES.md
+++ b/docs/PROJECT_NOTES.md
@@ -1308,23 +1308,33 @@ The player holds a REPUTATION (standing) on each planet and space station:
   system never splits the cameras (the single-camera pipeline renders
   exactly as before).
 
-## Nebula atmosphere — the gas behind the art
+## Nebula atmosphere — the gas you fly THROUGH
 
-- A nebula is not only the ripple: it fills with soft coloured GAS.
-  A handful of large, low-alpha cloud sprites sit at **depth 3** — above
-  the starfield (depths 0–2) and below the planets (5) and the ship (10) —
-  so the gas reads as distant atmosphere and your art floats in FRONT of
-  it, never tinted by it. It is content (world-space sprites), not a
-  filter: it parallax-scrolls with the camera, wraps like the starfield,
-  and works in the Canvas fallback too (no WebGL pass). Only NEBULA-type
-  systems wear it.
-- **Per-system colour:** every system gets a stable atmosphere color —
-  one of the 8-shade palette, picked at random at galaxy generation
-  (SystemGenerator, dedicated fork `(seed,'system',id,'atmosphere')`, so
-  lazy === eager). Stored as `content.atmosphere.color`; the layer tints
-  to it. The 8 shades are well-spread around the hue wheel (orange,
-  gold, green, cyan, blue, violet, magenta, crimson) — each nebula is a
-  different-feeling place.
+- A nebula is not only the ripple: it fills with soft coloured GAS, in
+  TWO layers of large, low-alpha cloud sprites (content, world-space —
+  not a filter: they parallax-scroll with the camera, wrap like the
+  starfield, and work in the Canvas fallback too; no WebGL pass). Only
+  NEBULA-type systems wear it.
+  - **BACK** (depth 3 — above the starfield's 0–2, below the planets at 5
+    and the ship at 10), tinted with the system's base atmosphere color:
+    distant atmosphere, art floats in front of it, never tinted by it.
+  - **FRONT** (depth 11 — ABOVE the ship), tinted with the derived accent
+    color: big, soft veils with parallax > 1 that drift PAST you slightly
+    faster than the world — the moment you read FLYING THROUGH the
+    nebula, not looking at one. The ship stays crisp (the veils are
+    low-alpha; if it ever reads as fog over the controls, lower
+    `front.alpha` first). `front.enabled: false` reverts to the single
+    back layer (the pre-2-layer look).
+- **Per-system colour (two-tone):** every system gets a stable base
+  atmosphere color — one of the 8-shade palette, picked at random at
+  galaxy generation (SystemGenerator, dedicated fork `(seed,'system',id,
+  'atmosphere')`, so lazy === eager). Stored as
+  `content.atmosphere.color`; the BACK layer tints to it. The FRONT tint
+  is DERIVED from it — `shiftHue` (js/utils/Color.js) rotates the hue by
+  `front.accent.hueShift` (42°) and lifts lightness (`lightScale`, 1.12)
+  — two gas species of one nebula, always stable per system (the 8 base
+  shades are well-spread around the hue wheel, so the 8 two-tone pairs
+  are all different-feeling places).
 - **The cloud:** a small set of distinct procedural puffs (value-noise
   fbm for the internal structure, multiplied by a WIDE RADIAL falloff so
   each has no perceptible silhouette — fully transparent by the inscribed
@@ -1332,21 +1342,27 @@ The player holds a REPUTATION (standing) on each planet and space station:
   `canvasTexture` helper; every nebula reuses the set and differs only in
   tint. NORMAL blending (the default) so overlaps layer softly instead of
   ADD-ing into bright seams, and each puff swirls slowly on the scene
-  clock.
-- **Files:** `js/visuals/NebulaAtmosphere.js` (layer + `drawCloud`),
-  `data/game.json → nebula` (palette + `count/alpha/size/parallax/drift/
-  texture` tunables), `js/galaxy/SystemGenerator.js` (per-system color),
+  clock (speed scaled by `drift`).
+- **Files:** `js/visuals/NebulaAtmosphere.js` (both layers + `drawCloud`),
+  `js/utils/Color.js` (`shiftHue` — the accent derivation),
+  `data/game.json → nebula` (palette + back-layer `count/alpha/size/
+  parallax/drift` + `front` block + `texture` tunables),
+  `js/galaxy/SystemGenerator.js` (per-system base color),
   `js/scenes/GameScene.js` (create/update/destroy wiring),
-  `dev/nebula.test.mjs` (15 checks, bare Node: palette contract, per-system
-  color determinism, cloud texture).
-- **Tuning is a JSON edit** (`data/game.json → nebula`): `alpha`
-  (opacity — keep it a wash, not a wall), `count` (cloud sprites),
+  `dev/nebula.test.mjs` (36 checks, bare Node: palette contract, per-system
+  color determinism, cloud texture, accent math, two-layer structure).
+- **Tuning is a JSON edit** (`data/game.json → nebula`): back layer via
+  `alpha` (opacity — keep it a wash, not a wall), `count` (cloud sprites),
   `size` (cloud px), `parallax` (keep it slower than the starfield's
-  0.15–0.85 so it sits far behind), `drift`, `shapes` (distinct puff
-  varieties — more = less repetition), and `texture` (noise
-  `octaves/persistence`).
+  0.15–0.85 so it sits far behind); front layer via `front.*` — `enabled`
+  (the revert switch), `count`, `alpha` (it veils the ship — keep it
+  lower than the back's), `size` (bigger = closer), `parallax` (> 1 =
+  closer than the art; 1.05–1.4 is the sweet spot), `drift` (swirl
+  speed), and `accent` (`hueShift` degrees, `satScale`, `lightScale`).
+  Shared: `shapes` (distinct puff varieties — more = less repetition),
+  `texture` (noise `octaves/persistence`), `drift` (back-layer swirl).
 - **See it:** `dev/test-game.html?fx=nebula&seed=<seed>` drops you in a
-  nebula (a different seed → a different gas color) — fly around and
+  nebula (a different seed → a different two-tone gas) — fly around and
   judge the look.
 
 ## Habitable storm — lightning in the upper sky (content, Canvas-safe)
diff --git a/js/scenes/GameScene.js b/js/scenes/GameScene.js
index 49a864f..1d66503 100644
--- a/js/scenes/GameScene.js
+++ b/js/scenes/GameScene.js
@@ -702,10 +702,12 @@ export class GameScene extends Phaser.Scene {
     // leaves the ref null.
     this._teardownEffectLayers();
 
-    // NEBULA GAS — a soft coloured cloud layer BEHIND the art (depth 3),
-    // tinted with the system's own atmosphere color (assigned at random at
-    // galaxy generation — SystemGenerator). Nebula systems only. See
-    // js/visuals/NebulaAtmosphere.js.
+    // NEBULA GAS — soft coloured clouds in TWO layers, tinted with the
+    // system's own atmosphere color (assigned at random at galaxy
+    // generation — SystemGenerator): a BACK layer behind the art (depth 3,
+    // base color) and a FRONT layer above the ship (depth 11, a derived
+    // accent hue) that drifts past you — flying THROUGH the nebula.
+    // Nebula systems only. See js/visuals/NebulaAtmosphere.js.
     if (
       this.systemRecord?.type === 'nebula' &&
       this.systemContent?.atmosphere?.color
diff --git a/js/utils/Color.js b/js/utils/Color.js
index 73f6db0..588da51 100644
--- a/js/utils/Color.js
+++ b/js/utils/Color.js
@@ -28,3 +28,46 @@ export function toCss(value, fallback = '#ffffff') {
   const n = toColor(value, toColor(fallback));
   return '#' + (n >>> 0).toString(16).padStart(6, '0');
 }
+
+/**
+ * Rotate a color's HUE (degrees; + is clockwise on the hue wheel) and
+ * rescale its saturation and lightness (1 = unchanged). Returns a 0xRRGGBB
+ * number (ready for setTint()).
+ *
+ * Used by the nebula FRONT gas layer: the accent tint is the system's base
+ * color rotated a little and lifted — two gas species of one nebula
+ * (see data/game.json → nebula.front.accent). Pure math (no Phaser), so it
+ * is testable in bare Node; grays stay grays (s=0 ⇒ hue is irrelevant),
+ * and black/white are preserved.
+ */
+export function shiftHue(color, { hueShift = 0, satScale = 1, lightScale = 1 } = {}) {
+  const n = toColor(color, 0xffffff) >>> 0;
+  const r = ((n >> 16) & 255) / 255;
+  const g = ((n >> 8) & 255) / 255;
+  const b = (n & 255) / 255;
+  const max = Math.max(r, g, b);
+  const min = Math.min(r, g, b);
+  const d = max - min;
+  const l = (max + min) / 2;
+  let h = 0;
+  const s = d === 0 ? 0 : d / (1 - Math.abs(2 * l - 1));
+  if (d !== 0) {
+    if (max === r) h = ((g - b) / d) % 6;
+    else if (max === g) h = (b - r) / d + 2;
+    else h = (r - g) / d + 4;
+    h *= 60;
+    if (h < 0) h += 360;
+  }
+  h = (h + hueShift) % 360;
+  const s2 = Math.min(1, Math.max(0, s * satScale));
+  const l2 = Math.min(1, Math.max(0, l * lightScale));
+  const c = (1 - Math.abs(2 * l2 - 1)) * s2;
+  const hp = h / 60;
+  const x = c * (1 - Math.abs((hp % 2) - 1));
+  const [r2, g2, b2] =
+    hp < 1 ? [c, x, 0] : hp < 2 ? [x, c, 0] : hp < 3 ? [0, c, x] :
+    hp < 4 ? [0, x, c] : hp < 5 ? [x, 0, c] : [c, 0, x];
+  const m = l2 - c / 2;
+  const to255 = (v) => Math.min(255, Math.max(0, Math.round((v + m) * 255)));
+  return ((to255(r2) << 16) | (to255(g2) << 8) | to255(b2)) >>> 0;
+}
diff --git a/js/visuals/NebulaAtmosphere.js b/js/visuals/NebulaAtmosphere.js
index 234b99c..d56f039 100644
--- a/js/visuals/NebulaAtmosphere.js
+++ b/js/visuals/NebulaAtmosphere.js
@@ -1,31 +1,44 @@
 import Phaser from '../vendor/phaser.js';
-import { toColor } from '../utils/Color.js';
+import { toColor, shiftHue } from '../utils/Color.js';
 import { canvasTexture } from '../utils/Textures.js';
 import { assignWorld } from './UiCameras.js';
 
 const TEX_KEY = '__nebula_cloud';
 const MARGIN = 120; // px of cloud buffer beyond the camera view, each side
-const DEPTH = 3; // above the starfield (0–2), below the planets (5) and ship (10)
+const DEPTH_BACK = 3; // above the starfield (0–2), below the planets (5) and ship (10)
+const DEPTH_FRONT = 11; // ABOVE the ship (10): near gas that passes in front of everything
 
 /**
- * The nebula GAS — soft coloured clouds that sit BEHIND the art.
+ * The nebula GAS — soft coloured clouds in TWO layers:
  *
- * A handful of large, low-alpha cloud sprites at depth 3: above the
- * starfield (depths 0–2) and below the planets (5) and the ship (10). So
- * the gas reads as distant atmosphere — your art floats in front of it,
- * never tinted by it. It is CONTENT (sprites in world space), not a
- * filter: it parallax-scrolls with the camera, wraps like the starfield,
- * and works in the Canvas fallback too (no WebGL filter pass).
+ *   BACK  (depth 3,  base tint)  — distant atmosphere BEHIND the art:
+ *                                  above the starfield (0–2), below the
+ *                                  planets (5) and the ship (10). Art
+ *                                  floats in front of it, never tinted.
+ *   FRONT (depth 11, accent tint) — near gas IN FRONT of everything,
+ *                                  above the ship (10): big, soft veils
+ *                                  that drift PAST you (parallax > 1) —
+ *                                  the moment you read FLYING THROUGH
+ *                                  the nebula, not looking at one.
  *
- * Each nebula system gets its own color — assigned at random at galaxy
- * generation (SystemGenerator stamps content.atmosphere.color from the
- * palette in data/game.json → nebula). The cloud SHAPE is shared (one
- * procedural texture, generated once); only the tint differs, so the
- * "gas" reads as the same kind of phenomenon in every nebula, just a
- * different hue.
+ * Both are CONTENT (sprites in world space), not a filter: they
+ * parallax-scroll with the camera, wrap like the starfield, and work in
+ * the Canvas fallback too (no WebGL filter pass).
  *
- * Tuned by data/game.json → nebula { enabled, palette, count, alpha,
- * size, parallax, drift, texture }.
+ * COLOR: the BACK tint is the system's atmosphere color — assigned at
+ * random at galaxy generation (SystemGenerator stamps
+ * content.atmosphere.color from the palette in data/game.json → nebula).
+ * The FRONT tint is DERIVED from it (shiftHue: a hue rotation + lightness
+ * lift, see cfg.front.accent), so every nebula is a two-tone gas —
+ * base + accent — always stable per system.
+ *
+ * The cloud SHAPE is shared (a few procedural textures, generated once);
+ * only the tint/depth/parallax differ between layers.
+ *
+ * Tuned by data/game.json → nebula: flat keys { count, alpha, size,
+ * parallax, drift } = the BACK layer; { front: { enabled, count, alpha,
+ * size, parallax (>1), drift, accent: { hueShift, satScale, lightScale } } }
+ * = the FRONT layer; { enabled, palette, shapes, texture } shared.
  */
 export class NebulaAtmosphere {
   /**
@@ -37,6 +50,16 @@ export class NebulaAtmosphere {
     this.scene = scene;
     this.cfg = cfg;
     this.color = toColor(color, 0xffffff);
+    // The FRONT layer (see the class doc): near gas above the ship.
+    this.front = cfg.front ?? {};
+    const accent = this.front.accent ?? {};
+    // Accent tint = the base color rotated a little and lifted — two gas
+    // species of one nebula (deterministic per system, pure math).
+    this.frontTint = shiftHue(this.color, {
+      hueShift: accent.hueShift ?? 42,
+      satScale: accent.satScale ?? 1,
+      lightScale: accent.lightScale ?? 1.12,
+    });
     this.clouds = [];
     this.lastScrollX = 0;
     this.lastScrollY = 0;
@@ -50,11 +73,11 @@ export class NebulaAtmosphere {
     const width = scene.scale.width;
     const height = scene.scale.height;
     const cam = scene.cameras.main;
+    const texSize = Math.max(32, Math.round(this.cfg.texture?.size ?? 256));
 
     // A few DISTINCT soft cloud shapes (different noise seeds) so the gas
     // doesn't read as one image repeated — only the tint is shared between
     // them. Generated once and cached by key; every nebula reuses the set.
-    const texSize = Math.max(32, Math.round(this.cfg.texture?.size ?? 256));
     const shapes = Math.max(1, Math.round(this.cfg.shapes ?? 3));
     const CLOUD_SEEDS = [1337, 4242, 9001, 617, 24601];
     const texKeys = Array.from({ length: shapes }, (_, i) =>
@@ -63,55 +86,88 @@ export class NebulaAtmosphere {
       }),
     );
 
-    const count = Math.max(0, Math.round(this.cfg.count ?? 6));
-    const [aMin, aMax] = normRange(this.cfg.alpha, [0.09, 0.18]);
-    const [sMin, sMax] = normRange(this.cfg.size, [420, 900]);
-    const [pMin, pMax] = normRange(this.cfg.parallax, [0.10, 0.22]);
+    // The two layers (see the class doc). The flat config keys are the
+    // BACK layer (backward compatible); cfg.front is the FRONT layer.
+    const layers = [
+      {
+        depth: DEPTH_BACK,
+        tint: this.color,
+        count: Math.max(0, Math.round(this.cfg.count ?? 6)),
+        alpha: normRange(this.cfg.alpha, [0.09, 0.18]),
+        size: normRange(this.cfg.size, [420, 900]),
+        parallax: normRange(this.cfg.parallax, [0.10, 0.22]),
+        drift: this.cfg.drift ?? 2.5,
+      },
+    ];
+    if (this.front.enabled !== false) {
+      layers.push({
+        depth: DEPTH_FRONT,
+        tint: this.frontTint,
+        count: Math.max(0, Math.round(this.front.count ?? 4)),
+        alpha: normRange(this.front.alpha, [0.07, 0.15]),
+        size: normRange(this.front.size, [700, 1400]),
+        // > 1: the gas is CLOSER than the art — on screen it drifts past
+        // you faster than the world (update() moves it by (1 − p)).
+        parallax: normRange(this.front.parallax, [1.05, 1.4]),
+        drift: this.front.drift ?? this.cfg.drift ?? 2.5,
+      });
+    }
 
     // Clouds start in a window around the current camera view; update()
     // keeps them wrapped into it as the camera flies (the starfield model).
     const left = cam.scrollX - MARGIN;
     const top = cam.scrollY - MARGIN;
 
-    for (let i = 0; i < count; i++) {
-      const key = texKeys[Phaser.Math.Between(0, texKeys.length - 1)];
-      const cloud = scene.add.image(
-        Phaser.Math.FloatBetween(left, left + width + 2 * MARGIN),
-        Phaser.Math.FloatBetween(top, top + height + 2 * MARGIN),
-        key,
-      );
-
-      // Parallax: keep it FAR (slower than the starfield's 0.15–0.85) so
-      // the gas sits behind the stars' nearest layer.
-      cloud.parallax = Phaser.Math.FloatBetween(pMin, pMax);
-
-      const s = Phaser.Math.FloatBetween(sMin, sMax) / texSize;
-      cloud
-        .setScale(s)
-        .setAlpha(Phaser.Math.FloatBetween(aMin, aMax))
-        .setTint(this.color)
-        .setRotation(Phaser.Math.FloatBetween(0, Math.PI * 2))
-        .setDepth(DEPTH);
-      // NORMAL blending (the default): overlaps layer softly instead of
-      // ADD-ing into bright seams, so no cloud edge reads as a hard rim.
-
-      // A slow self-rotation (rad/s) so the gas swirls even while the ship
-      // holds still — driven from the scene clock in update() (frame-safe).
-      cloud.baseRotation = cloud.rotation;
-      cloud.rotSpeed = (Phaser.Math.Between(0, 1) ? 1 : -1) * Phaser.Math.FloatBetween(0.003, 0.009);
-
-      // Keep it on the WORLD pass if the system-effect UI-camera split is
-      // active (a semi-transparent world object would otherwise draw twice).
-      // No-op while the split does not exist (single-camera play).
-      assignWorld(scene, cloud);
-
-      this.clouds.push(cloud);
+    for (const layer of layers) {
+      for (let i = 0; i < layer.count; i++) {
+        this.spawnCloud(layer, texKeys, left, top, width, height, texSize);
+      }
     }
 
     this.lastScrollX = cam.scrollX;
     this.lastScrollY = cam.scrollY;
   }
 
+  /** One cloud sprite: a random puff in the view window, layer-styled. */
+  spawnCloud(layer, texKeys, left, top, width, height, texSize) {
+    const scene = this.scene;
+    const key = texKeys[Phaser.Math.Between(0, texKeys.length - 1)];
+    const cloud = scene.add.image(
+      Phaser.Math.FloatBetween(left, left + width + 2 * MARGIN),
+      Phaser.Math.FloatBetween(top, top + height + 2 * MARGIN),
+      key,
+    );
+
+    // Parallax: the BACK layer stays FAR (slower than the starfield's
+    // 0.15–0.85) so it reads as distant gas; the FRONT layer runs > 1 so
+    // it reads as NEAR gas — closer than the planets and the ship.
+    cloud.parallax = Phaser.Math.FloatBetween(layer.parallax[0], layer.parallax[1]);
+
+    const s = Phaser.Math.FloatBetween(layer.size[0], layer.size[1]) / texSize;
+    cloud
+      .setScale(s)
+      .setAlpha(Phaser.Math.FloatBetween(layer.alpha[0], layer.alpha[1]))
+      .setTint(layer.tint)
+      .setRotation(Phaser.Math.FloatBetween(0, Math.PI * 2))
+      .setDepth(layer.depth);
+    // NORMAL blending (the default): overlaps layer softly instead of
+    // ADD-ing into bright seams, so no cloud edge reads as a hard rim.
+
+    // A slow self-rotation (rad/s) so the gas swirls even while the ship
+    // holds still — driven from the scene clock in update() (frame-safe).
+    // drift (game.json) scales it; 2.5 ≈ the original 0.003–0.009 rad/s.
+    const drift = typeof layer.drift === 'number' && layer.drift > 0 ? layer.drift : 2.5;
+    cloud.baseRotation = cloud.rotation;
+    cloud.rotSpeed = (Phaser.Math.Between(0, 1) ? 1 : -1) * drift * Phaser.Math.FloatBetween(0.0012, 0.0036);
+
+    // Keep it on the WORLD pass if the system-effect UI-camera split is
+    // active (a semi-transparent world object would otherwise draw twice).
+    // No-op while the split does not exist (single-camera play).
+    assignWorld(scene, cloud);
+
+    this.clouds.push(cloud);
+  }
+
   /**
    * Shift the gas opposite to the camera motion, wrap it back into the
    * current view, and let each cloud swirl slowly. Call once per frame,
@@ -143,7 +199,8 @@ export class NebulaAtmosphere {
 
     for (const cloud of this.clouds) {
       // Move by (1 − p) of the camera delta → on screen it drifts by −p,
-      // opposite to travel; far (small p) gas barely moves.
+      // opposite to travel: the back layer (p < 1) barely moves (far gas);
+      // the front layer (p > 1) drifts PAST the world (near gas).
       cloud.x += dx * (1 - cloud.parallax);
       cloud.y += dy * (1 - cloud.parallax);
       cloud.x = wrapIn(cloud.x, left, spanX);