Astronomy Picture of the Day

    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.

                                2021 March 16

                IC 1318: The Butterfly Nebula in Gas and Dust
                     Image Credit & Copyright: Alan Pham

   Explanation: In the constellation of the swan near the nebula of the
   pelican lies the gas cloud of the butterfly next to a star known as the
   hen. That star, given the proper name Sadr, is just to the right of the
   featured frame, but the central Butterfly Nebula, designated IC 1318,
   is shown in high resolution. The intricate patterns in the bright gas
   and dark dust are caused by complex interactions between interstellar
   winds, radiation pressures, magnetic fields, and gravity. The featured
   telescopic view captures IC 1318's characteristic emission from ionized
   sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms mapped to the red, green, and blue
   hues of the popular Hubble Palette. The portion of the Butterfly Nebula
   pictured spans about 100 light years and lies about 4000 light years
   away.

                     Tomorrow's picture: aurora jupiter
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