                        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.

                                2023 August 5

                      NGC 1360: The Robin's Egg Nebula
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Dong Liang

   Explanation: This pretty nebula lies some 1,500 light-years away, its
   shape and color in this telescopic view reminiscent of a robin's egg.
   The cosmic cloud spans about 3 light-years, nestled securely within the
   boundaries of the southern constellation Fornax. Recognized as a
   planetary nebula, egg-shaped NGC 1360 doesn't represent a beginning
   though. Instead it corresponds to a brief and final phase in the
   evolution of an aging star. In fact, visible at the center of the
   nebula, the central star of NGC 1360 is known to be a binary star
   system likely consisting of two evolved white dwarf stars, less massive
   but much hotter than the Sun. Their intense and otherwise invisible
   ultraviolet radiation has stripped away electrons from the atoms in
   their mutually surrounding gaseous shroud. The predominant blue-green
   hue of NGC 1360 seen here is the strong emission produced as electrons
   recombine with doubly ionized oxygen atoms.

                    Tomorrow's picture: supernova remnant
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