﻿ 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. 2024 April 24 [2]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: [3]Rowan Prangley Explanation: How did a star form this beautiful nebula? In the middle of [4]emission nebula NGC 6164 is an [5]unusually massive star. The central star has been compared to an [6]oyster's pearl and an [7]egg [8]protected by the mythical sky [9]dragons of Ara. The star, visible in the center of the [10]featured image and catalogued as [11]HD 148937, is so hot that the [12]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 [13]gravitational interaction with a looping stellar companion. Expelled material might have been channeled by the [14]magnetic field of the massive star, in all creating the symmetric [15]shape of the bipolar nebula. NGC 6164 spans about four [16]light years and is located about 3,600 light years away toward the southern constellation [17]Norma. New Mirror: [18]APOD now available via WhatsApp Tomorrow's picture: open space __________________________________________________________________ [19]< | [20]Archive | [21]Submissions | [22]Index | [23]Search | [24]Calendar | [25]RSS | [26]Education | [27]About APOD | [28]Discuss | [29]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [30]Robert Nemiroff ([31]MTU) & [32]Jerry Bonnell ([33]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [34]Specific rights apply. [35]NASA Web Privacy, [36]Accessibility, [37]Notices; A service of: [38]ASD at [39]NASA / [40]GSFC, [41]NASA Science Activation & [42]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2404/DragonsEgg_Prangley_4688.jpg 3. https://www.astrobin.com/users/Rowan.Prangley/ 4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emission_nebula 5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-type_star 6. https://www.thepearlsource.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Black-pearls.jpg 7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon's_Egg 8. https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/dog-protecting-cat-internet-meme-fb2__700.jpg 9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220607.html 10. https://www.astrobin.com/7dexm4/ 11. https://telescope.live/gallery/hd-148937-ngc-6165 12. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/10_ultravioletwaves/ 13. https://science.nasa.gov/resource/tides/ 14. https://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/Imagnet.html 15. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ...961...72L/abstract 16. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/ 17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norma_(constellation) 18. https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaE3m060VycE2fP9wm0W 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240423.html 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 23. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 25. https://apod.com/feed.rss 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 28. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240424 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240425.html 30. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 31. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 32. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 33. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 35. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 36. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 37. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 38. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 39. https://www.nasa.gov/ 40. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 41. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 42. http://www.mtu.edu/