                        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.

                                2024 April 24
   A blue star is seen in the center of a red nebula itself surrounded by
      a faint blue nebula. The surrounding starfield itself has a faint
   red-brown emission clouds. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                    Dragon's Egg Bipolar Emission Nebula
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Rowan Prangley

   Explanation: How did a star form this beautiful nebula? In the middle
   of emission nebula NGC 6164 is an unusually massive star. The central
   star has been compared to an oyster's pearl and an egg protected by the
   mythical sky dragons of Ara. The star, visible in the center of the
   featured image and catalogued as HD 148937, is so hot that the
   ultraviolet light it emits heats up gas that surrounds it. That gas was
   likely thrown off from the star previously, possibly the result of a
   gravitational interaction with a looping stellar companion. Expelled
   material might have been channeled by the magnetic field of the massive
   star, in all creating the symmetric shape of the bipolar nebula. NGC
   6164 spans about four light years and is located about 3,600 light
   years away toward the southern constellation Norma.

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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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