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 May 25
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                           Cat's Eye Wide and Deep
   Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Jean-François Bax, [5]Guillaume Gruntz

   Explanation: [6]The Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is one of the best
   known planetary nebulae in the sky. Its [7]more familiar outlines are
   seen in the brighter [8]central region of the nebula in this impressive
   wide-angle view. But this wide and deep image combining [9]data from
   two telescopes also reveals its extremely faint outer halo. At an
   estimated distance of 3,000 light-years, the faint outer halo is over 5
   light-years across. Planetary nebulae have long been appreciated as a
   final phase [10]in the life of a sun-like star. More recently, some
   planetary nebulae are found to [11]have halos like this one, likely
   formed of material shrugged off during earlier episodes in the star's
   evolution. While the [12]planetary nebula phase is thought to last for
   around 10,000 years, astronomers estimate the age of the outer
   filamentary portions of this halo to be 50,000 to 90,000 years. Visible
   on the right, some 50 million light-years beyond the watchful planetary
   nebula, lies spiral galaxy NGC 6552.

                 Tomorrow's picture: Virgo Cluster Galaxies
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    Authors & editors: [24]Robert Nemiroff ([25]MTU) & [26]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([27]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [28]Specific rights apply.
              [29]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC,
                         [33]NASA Science Activation
                           & [34]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2305/NGC6543_wide.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.astrobin.com/users/jeffbax/
   5. https://www.astrobin.com/users/GuillaumeGz/
   6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat's_Eye_Nebula
   7. https://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic0414/
   8. https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.01313
   9. https://www.astrobin.com/mfogwz/D/
  10. http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/educators/lifecycles/stars.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140601.html
  12. https://vimeo.com/51508514
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230524.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  17. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  22. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230525
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230526.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  27. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  33. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  34. http://www.mtu.edu/