                        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 December 26
     A complex nebula is shown in front of a dense starfield. The nebula
   appears orange. A bright star is seen just to the right of the nebula.
          Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                        IC 443: The Jellyfish Nebula
                    Image Credit & Copyright: David Payne

   Explanation: Why is this jellyfish swimming in a sea of stars? Drifting
   near bright star Eta Geminorum, seen at the right, the Jellyfish Nebula
   extends its tentacles from the bright arcing ridge of emission left of
   center. In fact, the cosmic jellyfish is part of bubble-shaped
   supernova remnant IC 443, the expanding debris cloud from a massive
   star that exploded. Light from the explosion first reached planet Earth
   over 30,000 years ago. Like its cousin in astronomical waters, the Crab
   Nebula supernova remnant IC 443 is known to harbor a neutron star --
   the remnant of the collapsed stellar core. The Jellyfish Nebula is
   about 5,000 light-years away. At that distance, the featured image
   would span about 140 light-years across.

     Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
                                 (post 1995)
                     Tomorrow's picture: rainbow aurora
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

