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                        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.

                                 2025 May 14
   A dark starfield highlights a blue and pink nebula in its center. Some
     dark lanes of dust are seen inside nebula's center. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                      NGC 1360: The Robin's Egg Nebula
     Image Credit & Copyright: Andrea Iorio, Vikas Chander & ShaRA Team

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

     Celestial Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
                                 (post 1995)
                       Tomorrow's picture: pluto below
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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