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.
2015 August 19
Central Cygnus Skyscape
Image Credit & Copyright: Paul C. Swift
Explanation: In cosmic brush strokes of glowing
hydrogen gas, this beautiful skyscape unfolds across the plane of our
Milky Way Galaxy and the center of the northern constellation
Cygnus the Swan. The
featured image spans about six degrees. Bright supergiant star
Gamma Cygni (Sadr) to the upper left of the image center lies in the foreground of the complex gas and dust clouds and
crowded star fields.
Left of Gamma Cygni, shaped like two luminous wings divided by a long dark dust lane is IC 1318, whose popular name is understandably the
Butterfly Nebula. The more compact, bright nebula at the lower right is NGC 6888, the
Crescent Nebula. Some distance estimates for Gamma Cygni place it at around 1,800
light-years while estimates for IC 1318 and NGC 6888 range from 2,000 to 5,000 light-years.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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