Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                                2023 April 16
     [2]An elongated colorful nebula is shown elongated horizontally and
    pinched in the middle. In the very center is a bright source. Please
             see the explanation for more detailed information.

                      M2-9: Wings of a Butterfly Nebula
    Image Credit: [3]Hubble Legacy Archive, [4]NASA, [5]ESA; Processing:
                            [6]Judy Schm[7]i[8]dt

   Explanation: Are stars better appreciated for their art after they die?
   Actually, stars usually create their most artistic displays as they
   die. In the case of low-mass stars like our [9]Sun and [10]M2-9
   pictured here, the stars transform themselves from normal [11]stars to
   [12]white dwarfs by casting off their outer gaseous envelopes. The
   expended gas frequently forms an impressive display called a
   [13]planetary nebula that fades gradually over thousands of years.
   [14]M2-9, a butterfly [15]planetary nebula 2100 [16]light-years away
   shown in representative colors, has wings that tell a strange but
   [17]incomplete tale. In the center, [18]two stars orbit inside a
   gaseous disk 10 times the orbit of [19]Pluto. The [20]expelled envelope
   of the dying [21]star breaks out from the disk creating the [22]bipolar
   appearance. Much remains unknown about the physical processes that
   cause and shape [23]planetary nebulae.

                     Tomorrow's picture: lightning elves
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [35]Robert Nemiroff ([36]MTU) & [37]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([38]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [39]Specific rights apply.
              [40]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [41]ASD at [42]NASA / [43]GSFC,
                         [44]NASA Science Activation
                           & [45]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2304/M2D9_HubbleSchmidt_985.jpg
   3. https://hla.stsci.edu/
   4. https://www.nasa.gov/
   5. https://www.esa.int/
   6. https://geckzilla.com/
   7. https://photographingspace.com/apod-judy-schmidt/"
   8. https://geckzilla.com/
   9. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/overview/
  10. https://www.flickr.com/photos/geckzilla/9732993912/sizes/l/in/photostream/
  11. https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap000910.html
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_nebula
  14. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011A&A...529A..43C/abstract
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/planetary_nebulae.html
  16. https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html
  17. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f2/a3/e7/f2a3e7539a0d23bc50fa1d8f41727b24.jpg
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap970219.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190910.html
  20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXiMWrNC6T0
  21. https://lws.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060606.html
  23. https://esahubble.org/wordbank/planetary-nebula/
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230415.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  33. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230416
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230417.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  36. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  37. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  38. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  41. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/
  43. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  44. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  45. http://www.mtu.edu/