                        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.

                                 2021 May 18

                        Jets from the Necklace Nebula
            Image Credit: ESA, Hubble, NASA; Processing: K. Noll

   Explanation: What celestial body wears the Necklace Nebula? First,
   analyses indicate that the Necklace is a planetary nebula, a gas cloud
   emitted by a star toward the end of its life. Also, what appears to be
   diamonds in the Necklace are actually bright knots of glowing gas. In
   the center of the Necklace Nebula are likely two stars orbiting so
   close together that they share a common atmosphere and appear as one in
   the featured image by the Hubble Space Telescope. The red-glowing gas
   clouds on the upper left and lower right are the results of jets from
   the center. Exactly when and how the bright jets formed remains a topic
   of research. The Necklace Nebula is only about 5,000 years old, spans
   about 5 light years, and can best be found with a large telescope
   toward the direction of the constellation of the Arrow (Sagitta).

                   Tomorrow's picture: jellyfish in space
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