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.

                                2024 April 24
   [2]A blue star is seen in the center of a red nebula itself surrounded
    by a faint blue nebula. The surrounding starfield itself has a faint
   red-brown emission clouds. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                    Dragon's Egg Bipolar Emission Nebula
                 Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Rowan Prangley

   Explanation: How did a star form this beautiful nebula? In the middle
   of [4]emission nebula NGC 6164 is an [5]unusually massive star. The
   central star has been compared to an [6]oyster's pearl and an [7]egg
   [8]protected by the mythical sky [9]dragons of Ara. The star, visible
   in the center of the [10]featured image and catalogued as [11]HD
   148937, is so hot that the [12]ultraviolet light it emits heats up gas
   that surrounds it. That gas was likely thrown off from the star
   previously, possibly the result of a [13]gravitational interaction with
   a looping stellar companion. Expelled material might have been
   channeled by the [14]magnetic field of the massive star, in all
   creating the symmetric [15]shape of the bipolar nebula. NGC 6164 spans
   about four [16]light years and is located about 3,600 light years away
   toward the southern constellation [17]Norma.

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    Authors & editors: [30]Robert Nemiroff ([31]MTU) & [32]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([33]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [34]Specific rights apply.
            [35]NASA Web Privacy, [36]Accessibility, [37]Notices;
                A service of: [38]ASD at [39]NASA / [40]GSFC,
                         [41]NASA Science Activation
                           & [42]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2404/DragonsEgg_Prangley_4688.jpg
   3. https://www.astrobin.com/users/Rowan.Prangley/
   4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emission_nebula
   5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-type_star
   6. https://www.thepearlsource.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Black-pearls.jpg
   7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon's_Egg
   8. https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/dog-protecting-cat-internet-meme-fb2__700.jpg
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220607.html
  10. https://www.astrobin.com/7dexm4/
  11. https://telescope.live/gallery/hd-148937-ngc-6165
  12. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/10_ultravioletwaves/
  13. https://science.nasa.gov/resource/tides/
  14. https://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/Imagnet.html
  15. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ...961...72L/abstract
  16. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/
  17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norma_(constellation)
  18. https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaE3m060VycE2fP9wm0W
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240423.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  23. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  25. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  28. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240424
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240425.html
  30. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  31. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  32. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  33. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  35. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  36. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  38. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  41. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  42. http://www.mtu.edu/