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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 November 24
      A starfield has a large and unusual red and orange nebula in the
     middle. The nebula seems to contain not only swirls but also nearly
      transparent shells. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                     Apep: Unusual Dust Shells from Webb
    Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, JWST; Science: Y. Han (Caltech),
         R. White (Macquarie U.); Image Processing: A. Pagan (STScI)

   Explanation: What created this unusual space sculpture? Stars. This
   unusual system of swirls and shells, known as Apep, was observed in
   unprecedented detail by NASACÇÖs James Webb Space Telescope in infrared
   light in 2024. Observations indicate that the unusual shape originates
   from two massive Wolf-Rayet stars orbiting each other every 190 years
   with each close passes causing a new shell of dust and gas to be
   expelled. Holes in these shells are thought to be caused by a third
   orbiting star. This stellar dust dance will likely continue for
   hundreds of thousands of years, possibly ending only when one of the
   massive stars runs out of internal nuclear fuel and explodes in a
   supernova punctuated by a burst of gamma-rays.

           Build your own star system: Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
                    Tomorrow's picture: picturesque comet
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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