¿ 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. 2021 March 16 [2]IC 1318: The Butterfly Nebula in Gas and Dust. See Explanation. IC 1318: The Butterfly Nebula in Gas and Dust Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Alan Pham Explanation: In the constellation of the [4]swan near the nebula of the pelican lies the [5]gas cloud of the butterfly [6]next to a star known as the hen. That star, given the proper name [7]Sadr, is just to the right of the featured frame, but the central [8]Butterfly Nebula, designated IC 1318, is shown in high resolution. The intricate patterns in the bright gas and [9]dark dust are caused by complex interactions between [10]interstellar winds, radiation pressures, magnetic fields, and gravity. The [11]featured telescopic view captures [12]IC 1318's characteristic emission from ionized [13]sulfur, [14]hydrogen, and [15]oxygen atoms mapped to the red, green, and blue hues of the popular [16]Hubble Palette. The portion of the Butterfly Nebula pictured spans about 100 [17]light years and lies about 4000 light years away. Tomorrow's picture: aurora jupiter __________________________________________________________________ [18]< | [19]Archive | [20]Submissions | [21]Index | [22]Search | [23]Calendar | [24]RSS | [25]Education | [26]About APOD | [27]Discuss | [28]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [29]Robert Nemiroff ([30]MTU) & [31]Jerry Bonnell ([32]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [33]Specific rights apply. [34]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [35]ASD at [36]NASA / [37]GSFC & [38]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2103/IC1318_Pham_3200.jpg 3. https://www.instagram.com/planetorion/ 4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygnus_(constellation) 5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210211.html 6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121130.html 7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_Cygni 8. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/nebulae/ic1318.html 9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201122.html 10. https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/interstellar-wind-changed-direction-over-40-years 11. https://www.astrobin.com/utpss4/B/ 12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadr_Region 13. https://youtu.be/mddfu3TXaRw 14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-alpha 15. https://youtu.be/diP_ngebIxI 16. http://hubble.stsci.edu/gallery/behind_the_pictures/meaning_of_color/eagle.php 17. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/en/ 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210315.html 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 22. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 27. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=210316 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210317.html 29. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 30. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 31. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 32. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 34. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 35. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 36. https://www.nasa.gov/ 37. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 38. http://www.mtu.edu/