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Credit & Copyright: David Payne
Explanation:
Why is this jellyfish swimming in a sea of stars?
Drifting near bright star
Eta Geminorum,
seen at the right, the
Jellyfish Nebula
extends its tentacles from the bright arcing ridge of emission left of center.
In fact, the cosmic
jellyfish
is part of bubble-shaped
supernova remnant IC
443,
the expanding debris cloud from a
massive star that exploded.
Light from the explosion first reached
planet Earth over
30,000 years ago.
Like its cousin in astronomical waters, the
Crab Nebula supernova remnant IC 443 is
known to harbor a
neutron star --
the remnant of the collapsed stellar core.
The Jellyfish Nebula is about 5,000
light-years away.
At that distance, the
featured image would
span about 140 light-years across.
Your Sky Surprise:
What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
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: supernova remnant
Publications with words: supernova remnant
See also:
- APOD: 2024 April 16 Á Filaments of the Vela Supernova Remnant
- APOD: 2024 April 3 Á Unusual Nebula Pa 30
- APOD: 2024 March 25 Á Sonified: The Jellyfish Nebula Supernova Remnant
- APOD: 2024 February 27 Á Supernova Remnant Simeis 147
- The Pencil Nebula Supernova Shock Wave
- Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A
- APOD: 2023 November 21 Á Flemings Triangular Wisp