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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2025 May 14

Explanation: lies some 1,500 light-years away, its shape and color in this telescopic view reminiscent of a . The cosmic cloud spans about 3 s, nestled securely within the boundaries of the southern constellation of the Furnace (). Recognized as a , egg-shaped doesn't represent a beginning, . Instead, it corresponds to a brief and final phase in the evolution of an . , visible at the center of the nebula, the central star of NGC 1360 is known to be a likely consisting of two evolved , less massive but much hotter than . Their intense and otherwise invisible has stripped away s from the atoms in their mutually surrounding gaseous shroud. The inside of NGC 1360 seen here is the strong emission produced as electrons recombine with .

Authors & editors: () & ()
NASA Official: Amber Straughn .
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