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Credit & Copyright: Gianni Lacroce
Explanation:
A broad expanse of glowing gas and dust presents
a bird-like visage to astronomers
from planet Earth,
suggesting its popular moniker: the
Seagull Nebula.
This
portrait of the
cosmic bird covers a 1.6-degree wide swath
across the plane of the Milky Way,
near
the direction of Sirius,
the alpha star of the constellation of the Big Dog
(Canis Major).
Of course, the
region includes objects with other catalog
designations: notably
NGC 2327, a compact, dusty emission and reflection nebula
with an embedded massive star that forms the
bird's head.
Dominated by the
reddish glow of atomic
hydrogen,
the complex of gas and dust clouds with bright
young stars spans over 100
light-years
at an estimated 3,800
light-year distance.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: emission nebula
Publications with words: emission nebula
See also: