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.

                               2023 January 3
    [2]The featured image shows a line of bright stars strewn diagonally
      across a starfield of more dim stars. A cluster of stars is also
   visible near the top left of the image. Please see the explanation for
                         more detailed information.

                          Kemble's Cascade of Stars
                  Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Tommy Lease

   Explanation: This line of stars is real. A little too faint to see with
   the unaided eye, [4]Kemble's Cascade of stars [5]inspires awe when seen
   with binoculars. Like the [6]Big Dipper though, Kemble's Cascade is an
   [7]asterism, not a [8]constellation. The asterism is visible in the
   northern sky toward the long-necked constellation of the [9]Giraffe
   ([10]Camelopardalis). This string of about 20 unrelated [11]stars, each
   of similar brightness, spans over five times the [12]angular width of
   the [13]full moon. Stretching diagonally from the upper left to the
   lower right, [14]Kemble's Cascade was popularized last century by
   astronomy enthusiast [15]Lucian Kemble. The bright object near the top
   left of the image is the relatively compact [16]Jolly Roger open
   cluster of stars, officially designated as [17]NGC 1502.

                      Tomorrow's picture: big appetite
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    Authors & editors: [29]Robert Nemiroff ([30]MTU) & [31]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([32]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [33]Specific rights apply.
              [34]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [35]ASD at [36]NASA / [37]GSFC,
                         [38]NASA Science Activation
                           & [39]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2301/KembleCascade_Lease_3668.jpg
   3. https://www.instagram.com/colorado_astro/
   4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kemble%27s_Cascade
   5. https://d.newsweek.com/en/full/1986767/shocked-cat.jpg
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130421.html
   7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterism
   8. https://www.iau.org/public/themes/constellations/
   9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffe#/media/File:Giraffe_Mikumi_National_Park.jpg
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelopardalis
  11. https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve
  12. https://www.1728.org/angsize.htm
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220612.html
  14. https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astrophotography/stars/kembles-cascade-asterism/
  15. https://www.rasc.ca/lucien-kemble
  16. https://wolfcreek.space/index.php/2020/11/04/jolly-roger-cluster/
  17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_1502
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230102.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  22. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  27. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230103
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230104.html
  29. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  30. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  31. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  32. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  35. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  36. https://www.nasa.gov/
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  38. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  39. http://www.mtu.edu/