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 November 18
     [2]A blue glowing gas background shows numerous bright stars in the
     foreground. A dark red dust nebula is also visible toward the image
    center. Around the edges, dark dust clouds are also visible, sometime
   colored tan and other times dark brown. Please see the explanation for
                         more detailed information.

                     Stars and Dust in the Pacman Nebula
                  Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Malcolm Loro

   Explanation: Stars can create huge and intricate [4]dust sculptures
   from the dense and dark [5]molecular clouds from which they are born.
   The tools the stars use to carve their detailed works are [6]high
   energy light and fast [7]stellar winds. The heat they generate
   evaporates the dark molecular [8]dust as well as causing ambient
   [9]hydrogen gas to disperse and [10]glow. [11]Pictured here, a new open
   cluster of stars designated [12]IC 1590 is nearing completion around
   the intricate [13]interstellar dust structures in the emission nebula
   [14]NGC 281, dubbed the [15]Pac-man Nebula because of its [16]overall
   shape. The [17]dust cloud just above center is classified as a [18]Bok
   Globule as it may [19]gravitationally collapse and form a star -- or
   stars. The Pacman Nebula lies about 10,000 [20]light years away toward
   the [21]constellation of Cassiopeia.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pointing clouds
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [33]Robert Nemiroff ([34]MTU) & [35]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([36]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [37]Specific rights apply.
            [38]NASA Web Privacy, [39]Accessibility, [40]Notices;
                A service of: [41]ASD at [42]NASA / [43]GSFC,
                         [44]NASA Science Activation
                           & [45]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2411/BokMan_Loro_1311.jpg
   3. https://www.astrobin.com/users/Waxing_and_Waning/
   4. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220925.html
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230129.html
   6. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/10_ultravioletwaves
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap000318.html
   8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_dust
   9. https://periodic.lanl.gov/1.shtml
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html
  11. https://www.astrobin.com/z1ex5r/
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IC_1590
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210307.html
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_281
  15. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-man
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap181122.html
  17. https://insidenanabreadshead.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/dust-bunny.jpg
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030127.html
  19. https://youtu.be/YbdwTwB8jtc
  20. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/en/
  21. https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/cassiopeia-constellation/
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241117.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  28. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  31. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=241118
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241119.html
  33. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  35. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  36. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  41. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/
  43. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  44. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  45. http://www.mtu.edu/