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.

                                 2020 June 1

                   The Lively Center of the Lagoon Nebula
       Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & Copyright: Diego
                                  Gravinese

   Explanation: The center of the Lagoon Nebula is a whirlwind of
   spectacular star formation. Visible near the image center, at least two
   long funnel-shaped clouds, each roughly half a light-year long, have
   been formed by extreme stellar winds and intense energetic starlight. A
   tremendously bright nearby star, Hershel 36, lights the area. Vast
   walls of dust hide and redden other hot young stars. As energy from
   these stars pours into the cool dust and gas, large temperature
   differences in adjoining regions can be created generating shearing
   winds which may cause the funnels. This picture, spanning about 15
   light years, features two colors detected by the orbiting Hubble Space
   Telescope. The Lagoon Nebula, also known as >M8, lies about 5000 light
   years distant toward the constellation of the Archer Sagittarius.

                        Tomorrow's picture: human foe
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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