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.

                               2025 February 3
    [2]A starfield is shown with a large spherical nebula in the center.
     The nebula shows a great deal of internal structure. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                  Wolf-Rayet Star 124: Stellar Wind Machine
    Image Credit: [3]Hubble Legacy Archive, [4]NASA, [5]ESA; Processing &
                         [6]License: [7]Judy Schmidt

   Explanation: Some stars explode in slow motion. Rare, massive
   [8]Wolf-Rayet stars are so tumultuous and hot that they are slowly
   disintegrating right before our telescopes. Glowing gas globs each
   typically over 30 times more massive than [9]the Earth are being
   expelled by violent [10]stellar winds. Wolf-Rayet star [11]WR 124,
   visible near the [12]featured image center and spanning six [13]light
   years across, is thus creating the surrounding nebula known as
   [14]M1-67. Details of why [15]this star has been slowly blowing itself
   apart over the past 20,000 years remains a topic of research. [16]WR
   124 lies 15,000 light-years away towards the [17]constellation of the
   Arrow ([18]Sagitta). The fate of any given [19]Wolf-Rayet star likely
   depends on how massive it is, but many are thought to end their lives
   with [20]spectacular explosions such as [21]supernovas or [22]gamma-ray
   bursts.

              Explore Your Universe: [23]Random APOD Generator
                      Tomorrow's picture: anti-rainbow
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    Authors & editors: [35]Robert Nemiroff ([36]MTU) & [37]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([38]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [39]Specific rights apply.
            [40]NASA Web Privacy, [41]Accessibility, [42]Notices;
                A service of: [43]ASD at [44]NASA / [45]GSFC,
                         [46]NASA Science Activation
                           & [47]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2502/wr124_hubbleschmidt_1289.jpg
   3. https://hla.stsci.edu/
   4. https://www.nasa.gov/
   5. https://www.esa.int/
   6. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
   7. https://www.flickr.com/photos/geckzilla/
   8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf-Rayet_star
   9. https://science.nasa.gov/earth/facts/
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap000318.html
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WR_124
  12. https://www.flickr.com/photos/geckzilla/14248502065/
  13. https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html
  14. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1985A&A...145L..13V/abstract
  15. https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/a-massive-violent-star-blooms
  16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WR_124
  17. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/constellations/en/
  18. http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/sge/
  19. http://www.universetoday.com/24736/wolf-rayet-star/
  20. https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5bad12683c000032000b0e42.jpeg?ops=scalefit_630_noupscale
  21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aysiMbgml5g
  22. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/gamma-ray-bursts-harvesting-knowledge-from-the-universes-most-powerful-explosions/
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/random_apod.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250202.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  30. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  33. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250203
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250204.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  36. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  37. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  38. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  43. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  46. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  47. http://www.mtu.edu/