Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 25 NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula Image Credit &Copyright: Robert Shepherd Explanation: These cosmic clouds have blossomed 1,300 light-years awayin the fertile starfields of theconstellation Cepheus.Called the Iris Nebula,NGC 7023is not the only nebulato evoke the imagery of flowers.Still, thisdeep telescopic imageshows off the Iris Nebula's range ofcolors and symmetries embedded in surroundingfields of interstellar dust.Within the Iris itself, dusty nebular material surrounds a hot, young star.The dominant color of the brighter reflection nebula is blue,characteristic of dust grains reflecting starlight.Central filamentsof the reflection nebula glow with a faint reddishphotoluminescence as some dust grainseffectively convertthe star's invisible ultraviolet radiation to visible red light.Infraredobservationsindicate that this nebula contains complex carbon molecules known asPAHs.The dusty blue petals of the Iris Nebula span about six light-years. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Amber StraughnSpecific rights apply.NASA Web Privacy,Accessibility NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 20 Apollo 11 Landing Panorama Image Credit: Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11,NASA Explanation: Have you seena panorama fromanother world lately?Assembled from high-resolution scansof the original film frames, this one sweeps acrossthe magnificent desolation of the Apollo 11 landing siteon the Moon's Sea of Tranquility.The images were taken 55 years ago byNeil Armstronglooking out his window on the Eagle Lunar Module shortly after theJuly 20, 1969 landing.The frame at the far left (AS11-37-5449)is the first picture taken by a person on another world.Thruster nozzles can be seen in theforeground on the left (toward the south), whileat the right (west), the shadow of the Eagle is visible.For scale, the large, shallow crater on the righthas a diameter of about 12 meters.Frames taken from the Lunar Module windows about anhour and a half after landing, beforewalking on the lunar surface,were intended to document the landing site in casean early departure was necessary. Tomorrow's picture: hoodoo <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry...

APOD: 2024 July 19 - Anticrepuscular Rays at the Planet Festival Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 19 Anticrepuscular Rays at the Planet Festival Image Credit &Copyright:Pavel Gabzdyl Explanation: For some,these subtle bands of light and shadow stretched across the sky as theSun set on July 11.Known asanticrepuscular rays,the bands are formed as a largecloud bank near the western horizon castlong shadowsthrough the atmosphere at sunset.Due to the camera's perspective, the bands of light and shadowseem to converge toward the eastern (opposite) horizon at a point seenjust above a 14th centuryhilltop castlein Brno, Czech Republic.In the foreground,denizensof planet Earth are enjoying the region's annualPlanet Festivalin the park below the Brno Observatory and Planetarium.And while crepuscular and anticrepuscular rays are a relativelycommon atmospheric phenomenon, this festival's 10 meter diameterinflatable spheres representingbodies of the Solar Systemare less often seenon planet Earth. Tomorrow's picture: panorama on another world <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Amber StraughnSpecific rights apply.NASA Web Privacy,Accessibility NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA Science Activation& Michigan...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 19 Anticrepuscular Rays at the Planet Festival Image Credit &Copyright:Pavel Gabzdyl Explanation: For some,these subtle bands of light and shadow stretched across the sky as theSun set on July 11.Known asanticrepuscular rays,the bands are formed as a largecloud bank near the western horizon castlong shadowsthrough the atmosphere at sunset.Due to the camera's perspective, the bands of light and shadowseem to converge toward the eastern (opposite) horizon at a point seenjust above a 14th centuryhilltop castlenear Brno, Czech Republic.In the foreground,denizensof planet Earth are enjoying the region's annualPlanet Festivalin the park below the Brno Observatory and Planetarium.And while crepuscular and anticrepuscular rays are a relativelycommon atmospheric phenomenon, this festival's 10 meter diameterinflatable spheres representingbodies of the Solar Systemare less often seenon planet Earth. Tomorrow's picture: panorama on another world <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Amber StraughnSpecific rights apply.NASA Web Privacy,Accessibility NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2024 July 18 - Messier 24: Sagittarius Star Cloud Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 18 Messier 24: Sagittarius Star Cloud Image Credit &Copyright:Christopher Freeburn Explanation: Unlike most entriesin Charles Messier's famous catalog of deep sky objects,M24is not a bright galaxy, star cluster, or nebula.It's a gap in nearby, obscuring interstellar dust clouds that allowsa view of the distant stars in the Sagittarius spiral armof our Milky Way galaxy.Direct your gazethrough this gap with binoculars or small telescope and you arelooking through a window over 300 light-years wide at stars some10,000 light-years or more from Earth.Sometimes called the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud, M24's luminous starsare left of center inthis gorgeous starscape. Covering over 6 degrees or the width of 12 full moons in theconstellation Sagittarius,the telescopic field of view includesdarkmarkingsB92 and B93 near the center of M24,along with otherclouds of dust and glowing nebulae toward the center of the Milky Way. Tomorrow's picture: festival of planets <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Amber StraughnSpecific...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 18 Messier 24: Sagittarius Star Cloud Image Credit &Copyright:Christopher Freeburn Explanation: Unlike most entriesin Charles Messier's famous catalog of deep sky objects,M24is not a bright galaxy, star cluster, or nebula.It's a gap in nearby, obscuring interstellar dust clouds that allowsa view of the distant stars in the Sagittarius spiral armof our Milky Way galaxy.Direct your gazethrough this gap with binoculars or small telescope and you arelooking through a window over 300 light-years wide at stars some10,000 light-years or more from Earth.Sometimes called the Small Sagittarius Star Cloud, M24's luminous starsare left of center inthis gorgeous starscape. Covering over 6 degrees or the width of 12 full moons in theconstellation Sagittarius,the telescopic field of view includesdarkmarkingsB92 and B93 near the center of M24,along with otherclouds of dust and glowing nebulae toward the center of the Milky Way. Tomorrow's picture: festival of planets <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Amber StraughnSpecific rights apply.NASA Web Privacy,Accessibility NoticesA...

APOD: 2024 July 12 - Jones Emberson 1 Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 12 Jones-Emberson 1 Image Credit &Copyright: Team OURANOS,(Jean-Baptiste Auroux, Jean Claude Mario, Mathieu Guinot & Matthieu Tequi) Explanation: Planetary nebulaJones-Emberson 1is thedeath shroudof a dying Sun-like star.It lies some 1,600 light-years from Earth toward thesharp-eyed constellation Lynx.About 4 light-years across,the expanding remnant of the dying star's atmosphere wasshrugged offinto interstellar space, as the star'scentral supply of hydrogen and then helium for fusion wasdepleted after billions of years.Visible near the center of the planetary nebulais what remains of the stellar core, a blue-hotwhite dwarf star. Also known as PK 164 +31.1, the nebula is faint and verydifficult to glimpse at a telescope's eyepiece.But this deep imagecombining over 12 hours of exposure time does show it off in exceptionaldetail.Stars within our own Milky Way galaxy as well as background galaxiesacross the universe are scattered through the clear field of view.Ephemeralon the cosmic stage, Jones-Emberson 1will fade away over the next few thousand years.Its hot, central white dwarf star will takebillionsof years to cool. Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend <| Archive| Submissions...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 13 Solar System Family Portrait Image Credit: Voyager Project,NASA Explanation: In 1990, cruising four billion miles from the Sun, theVoyager 1 spacecraft looked back to make this first everSolar System family portrait.The complete portrait is a60 frame mosaicmade from a vantage point 32 degrees above theecliptic plane.In it, Voyager's wide-angle camera frames sweep through theinner Solar System at the left, linking up withice giant Neptune,the Solar System's outermost planet, at the far right.Positions for Venus, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptuneare indicated by letters, while the Sun is thebright spot near the center of the circle of frames.The inset framesfor each of the planets arefrom Voyager's narrow-field camera.Unseen in the portrait are Mercury, too closeto the Sun to be detected, and Mars, unfortunately hidden by sunlightscattered in the camera's optical system.Closer to the Sun than Neptune at the time,small, faint Pluto'sposition was not covered.In 2024 Voyager 1,NASA’s longest-running and most-distant spacecraft,is some 15 billion miles away,operating in interstellar space. Tomorrow's picture: galaxy vs grain of sand <| Archive| Submissions |...

APOD: 2024 July 11 - Globular Cluster Omega Centauri Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 11 Globular Cluster Omega Centauri Image Credit &Copyright: Juergen Stein Explanation: Globular star clusterOmega Centauripacks about 10 millionstars much older than the Sun into a volume some 150 light-years indiameter.Also known as NGC 5139, at a distance of 15,000 light-yearsit's the largest and brightest of 200 or so knownglobularclusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy.Though most star clusters consist of stars with the same age andcomposition, the enigmatic Omega Cen exhibits the presence ofdifferentstellar populations with a spread of ages and chemical abundances.In fact,Omega Cen may be theremnantcore of a small galaxy merging with the Milky Way.With a yellowish hue,Omega Centauri's red giant stars are easy to pick out in thissharp telescopic view.A two-decade-long exploration of the dense star clusterwith the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed evidencefor a massive black hole near thecenter of Omega Centauri. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official:...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 12 Jones-Emberson 1 Image Credit &Copyright: Team OURANOS,(Jean-Baptiste Auroux, Jean Claude Mario, Mathieu Guinot & Matthieu Tequi) Explanation: Planetary nebulaJones-Emberson 1is thedeath shroudof a dying Sun-like star.It lies some 1,600 light-years from Earth toward thesharp-eyed constellation Lynx.About 4 light-years across,the expanding remnant of the dying star's atmosphere wasshrugged offinto interstellar space, as the star'scentral supply of hydrogen and then helium for fusion wasdepleted after billions of years.Visible near the center of the planetary nebulais what remains of the stellar core, a blue-hotwhite dwarf star. Also known as PK 164 +31.1, the nebula is faint and verydifficult to glimpse at a telescope's eyepiece.But this deep imagecombining over 12 hours of exposure time does show it off in exceptionaldetail.Stars within our own Milky Way galaxy as well as background galaxiesacross the universe are scattered through the clear field of view.Ephemeralon the cosmic stage, Jones-Emberson 1will fade away over the next few thousand years.Its hot, central white dwarf star will takebillionsof years to cool. Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search|...

APOD: 2024 July 10 - A Sagittarius Triplet Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 10 A Sagittarius Triplet Image Credit &Copyright: Andy Ermolli Explanation: These three bright nebulae are often featured on telescopic tours of theconstellation Sagittariusand the crowded starfields of thecentral Milky Way.In fact, 18th century cosmic touristCharles Messiercataloged two of them; M8,the large nebula above center, and colorfulM20below and left in the frame.The third emission region includesNGC 6559, right of M8 andseparated from the larger nebula by a dark dust lane.All three are stellar nurseries aboutfive thousand light-years or so distant.Over a hundred light-years across the expansive M8is also known as the Lagoon Nebula.M20's popular moniker is the Trifid.Glowing hydrogen gas creates the dominant red color of theemission nebulae.But for striking contrast, blue hues in theTrifid are due to dust reflected starlight.The broadinterstellar skyscapespans almost 4 degrees or 8 full moons on the sky. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Amber StraughnSpecific rights apply.NASA Web Privacy,Accessibility NoticesA service...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 11 Globular Cluster Omega Centauri Image Credit &Copyright: Juergen Stein Explanation: Globular star clusterOmega Centauripacks about 10 millionstars much older than the Sun into a volume some 150 light-years indiameter.Also known as NGC 5139, at a distance of 15,000 light-yearsit's the largest and brightest of 200 or so knownglobularclusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way galaxy.Though most star clusters consist of stars with the same age andcomposition, the enigmatic Omega Cen exhibits the presence ofdifferentstellar populations with a spread of ages and chemical abundances.In fact,Omega Cen may be theremnantcore of a small galaxy merging with the Milky Way.With a yellowish hue,Omega Centauri's red giant stars are easy to pick out in thissharp telescopic view.A two-decade-long exploration of the dense star clusterwith the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed evidencefor a massive black hole near thecenter of Omega Centauri. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Amber StraughnSpecific rights apply.NASA...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 10 A Sagittarius Triplet Image Credit &Copyright: Andy Ermolli Explanation: These three bright nebulae are often featured on telescopic tours of theconstellation Sagittariusand the crowded starfields of thecentral Milky Way.In fact, 18th century cosmic touristCharles Messiercataloged two of them; M8,the large nebula above center, and colorfulM20below and left in the frame.The third emission region includesNGC 6559, right of M8 andseparated from the larger nebula by a dark dust lane.All three are stellar nurseries aboutfive thousand light-years or so distant.Over a hundred light-years across the expansive M8is also known as the Lagoon Nebula.M20's popular moniker is the Trifid.Glowing hydrogen gas creates the dominant red color of theemission nebulae.But for striking contrast, blue hues in theTrifid are due to dust reflected starlight.The broadinterstellar skyscapespans almost 4 degrees or 8 full moons on the sky. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Amber StraughnSpecific rights apply.NASA Web Privacy,Accessibility NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA...

APOD: 2024 July 5 - Mount Etna Milky Way Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 5 Mount Etna Milky Way Image Credit &Copyright: Gianni Tumino Explanation: A glow from the summit ofMount Etna,famous active stratovolcano of planet Earth,stands out along the horizon in thismountain and nightskyscape.Bands of diffuse light fromcongeriesof innumerable starsalong the Milky Way galaxy stretch across the sky above.In silhouette, the Milky Way's massive dust clouds are clumped alongthe galactic plane.Also familiar to northern skygazers are brightstars Deneb, Vega, and Altair,the Summer Trianglestraddling dark nebulae andluminous star clouds poised over the volcanic peak.The deep combined exposures reveal the light of activestar formingregions along the Milky Way,echoing Etna'sruddy huein the northern hemispheresummer's night. Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Amber StraughnSpecific rights apply.NASA Web Privacy,Accessibility NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 6 NGC 7789: Caroline's Rose Image Credit &Copyright: Massimo Di Fusco Explanation: Found among the rich starfields of the Milky Way,starcluster NGC 7789 lies about 8,000 light-years awaytoward the constellation Cassiopeia.A late 18th century deep sky discovery of astronomerCaroline Lucretia Herschel,the cluster is also known as Caroline's Rose.Itsvisual appearancein small telescopes, created bythe cluster's complex of stars and voids,is suggestive of nested rose petals.Now estimated to be 1.6 billion years young, thegalactic or opencluster of starsalso shows its age.All the stars in the cluster were likely bornat the same time, but the brighter and more massive ones have morerapidly exhausted the hydrogen fuel in theircores.These have evolved frommain sequencestars like the Sun into the many red giant stars shown with a yellowish cast in this color composite.Using measured color and brightness,astronomers can model the mass and hence the age ofthe cluster stars just starting to "turn off" the main sequenceand become red giants.Over 50 light-years across,Caroline's Rose spans abouthalf a degree (the angular size of the Moon) near the center...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 5 Mount Etna Milky Way Image Credit &Copyright: Gianni Tumino Explanation: A glow from the summit ofMount Etna,famous active stratovolcano of planet Earth,stands out along the horizon in thismountain and nightskyscape.Bands of diffuse light fromcongeriesof innumerable starsalong the Milky Way galaxy stretch across the sky above.In silhouette, the Milky Way's massive dust clouds are clumped alongthe galactic plane.But also familiar to northern skygazers are brightstars Deneb, Vega, and Altair,the Summer Trianglestraddling dark nebulae andluminous star clouds poised over the volcanic peak.The deep combined exposures also reveal the light of activestar formingregions along the Milky Way,echoing Etna'sruddy huein the northern hemispheresummer's night. Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Amber StraughnSpecific rights apply.NASA Web Privacy,Accessibility NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.

APOD: 2024 July 4 - A Beautiful Trifid Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 4 A Beautiful Trifid Image Credit &Copyright: Jesús Carmona Guillén Explanation: The beautiful Trifid Nebulais a cosmicstudyin contrasts.Also known as M20,it lies about5,000 light-years away toward thenebula rich constellation Sagittarius.A star forming region in the plane of our galaxy,the Trifid does illustrate three different types ofastronomical nebulae;red emission nebulae dominated bylight from hydrogen atoms,blue reflection nebulae producedby dust reflecting starlight, anddark nebulae wheredense dust clouds appear in silhouette.But the red emission region, roughly separated into threeparts by obscuring dust lanes, is what lends the Trifid itspopular name.Pillars and jets sculpted by newborn stars, above and right ofthe emission nebula's center, appear in famous Hubble Space Telescopeclose-up imagesof the region.The Trifid Nebula is about 40 light-years across.Too faint to be seen by the unaided eye, it almost covers thearea of a full moon on planet Earth's sky. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Amber StraughnSpecific rights apply.NASA...

APOD: 2024 July 3 - M83: Star Streams and a Thousand Rubies Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 3 M83: Star Streams and a Thousand Rubies Image Credit &Copyright: Michael Sidonio Explanation: Big, bright, and beautiful,spiral galaxy M83lies a mere twelve million light-years away, near the southeasterntip of the very longconstellation Hydra.About 40,000 light-years across, M83 isknown as the Southern Pinwheel for its pronounced spiral arms.But the wealth ofreddish star forming regionsfound near the edges of the arms' thick dust lanes,also suggest another popular moniker for M83, theThousand-Ruby Galaxy.This new deep telescopicdigital imagealso records the bright galaxy's faint, extended halo.Arcing toward the bottom of the cosmic frame lies a stellar tidal stream,debris drawn from massive M83 bythe gravitational disruption of a smaller, merging satellite galaxy.Astronomers David Malin and Brian Hadleyfound the elusivestar stream in the mid 1990s by enhancing photographic plates. Tomorrow's picture: red, white, blue <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Amber StraughnSpecific rights apply.NASA Web Privacy,Accessibility NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA Science Activation&...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 4 A Beautiful Trifid Image Credit &Copyright: Jesús Carmona Guillén Explanation: The beautiful Trifid Nebulais a cosmicstudyin contrasts.Also known as M20,it lies about5,000 light-years away toward thenebula rich constellation Sagittarius.A star forming region in the plane of our galaxy,the Trifid does illustrate three different types ofastronomical nebulae;red emission nebulae dominated bylight from hydrogen atoms,blue reflection nebulae producedby dust reflecting starlight, anddark nebulae wheredense dust clouds appear in silhouette.But the red emission region, roughly separated into threeparts by obscuring dust lanes, is what lends the Trifid itspopular name.Pillars and jets sculpted by newborn stars, above and right ofthe emission nebula's center, appear in famous Hubble Space Telescopeclose-up imagesof the region.The Trifid Nebula is about 40 light-years across.Too faint to be seen by the unaided eye, it almost covers thearea of a full moon on planet Earth's sky. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Amber StraughnSpecific rights apply.NASA Web Privacy,Accessibility NoticesA...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe isfeatured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 July 3 M83: Star Streams and a Thousand Rubies Image Credit &Copyright: Michael Sidonio Explanation: Big, bright, and beautiful,spiral galaxy M83lies a mere twelve million light-years away, near the southeasterntip of the very longconstellation Hydra.About 40,000 light-years across, M83 isknown as the Southern Pinwheel for its pronounced spiral arms.But the wealth ofreddish star forming regionsfound near the edges of the arms' thick dust lanes,also suggest another popular moniker for M83, theThousand-Ruby Galaxy.This new deep telescopicdigital imagealso records the bright galaxy's faint, extended halo.Arcing toward the bottom of the cosmic frame lies a stellar tidal stream,debris drawn from massive M83 bythe gravitational disruption of a smaller, merging satellite galaxy.Astronomers David Malin and Brian Hadleyfound the elusivestar stream in the mid 1990s by enhancing photographic plates. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space <| Archive| Submissions | Index| Search| Calendar| RSS| Education| About APOD| Discuss| > Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)NASA Official: Amber StraughnSpecific rights apply.NASA Web Privacy,Accessibility NoticesA service of:ASD atNASA /GSFC,NASA Science Activation& Michigan Tech. U.