Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2022 October 12
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                         Ou4: The Giant Squid Nebula
                 Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Tommy Lease

   Explanation: A mysterious squid-like cosmic cloud, this nebula is very
   faint, but also very large in planet Earth's sky. [5]In the image,
   composed with 30 hours of narrowband image data, it spans nearly three
   full moons toward the royal constellation Cepheus. [6]Discovered in
   2011 by French astro-imager [7]Nicolas Outters, the Squid Nebula's
   [8]bipolar shape is distinguished here by the telltale blue-green
   [9]emission from doubly ionized oxygen atoms. Though apparently
   [10]surrounded by the reddish hydrogen emission region Sh2-129, the
   true distance and nature of the Squid Nebula have been difficult to
   determine. Still, a more [11]recent investigation suggests Ou4 really
   does lie [12]within Sh2-129 some 2,300 light-years away. Consistent
   with that scenario, the cosmic squid would represent a spectacular
   outflow of material driven by a [13]triple system of hot, massive
   stars, cataloged as HR8119, seen near the center of the nebula. If so,
   this truly giant squid nebula would physically be over 50 light-years
   across.

                  Tomorrow's picture: dust shells in space
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    Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([28]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [29]Specific rights apply.
              [30]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [31]ASD at [32]NASA / [33]GSFC,
                         [34]NASA Science Activation
                           & [35]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2210/SquidFinal3smaller.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.instagram.com/colorado_astro/
   5. https://www.astrobin.com/4ls0b4/
   6. http://arxiv.org/abs/1206.2477
   7. http://outters.fr/wp/?page_id=50
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200913.html
   9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebulium
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap161027.html
  11. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014A%26A...570A.105C/abstract
  12. http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2013/12/a-start-of-new-project-cepheus-mosaic.html
  13. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/orbits.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221011.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  23. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=221012
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221013.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  31. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  34. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  35. http://www.mtu.edu/