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.

                                2025 April 15
   [2]A starfield is dominated by a multi-colored figure 8 in the middle,
   titled on a diagonal. The outsides of the nebula appear light colored,
   while the inside shows complex structure tinted red and purple. Please
             see the explanation for more detailed information.

                     Planetary Nebula NGC 1514 from Webb
     Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]ESA, [5]CSA, [6]M. E. Ressler ([7]JPL) et
                      al.; Processing: [8]Judy Schmidt

   Explanation: What happens when a star runs out of [9]nuclear fuel? For
   stars like [10]our Sun, the center condenses into a [11]white dwarf
   while the outer atmosphere is expelled into space to appear as a
   [12]planetary nebula. The expelled outer atmosphere of planetary nebula
   [13]NGC 1514 appears to be a [14]jumble of bubbles -- when seen in
   [15]visible light. But the view from the [16]James Webb Space Telescope
   in [17]infrared, as [18]featured here, confirms a different story:
   [19]in this light the nebula shows a distinct [20]hourglass shape,
   which is [21]interpreted as a [22]cylinder seen along a diagonal. If
   you look closely at the center of the nebula, you can also see a
   [23]bright central star that is part of a [24]binary system. More
   observations might better reveal how this nebula is evolving and how
   the central stars are [25]working together to produce the interesting
   cylinder and bubbles observed.

             Jump Around the Universe: [26]Random APOD Generator
                     Tomorrow's picture: in a cat's eye
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    Authors & editors: [38]Robert Nemiroff ([39]MTU) & [40]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([41]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [42]Specific rights apply.
            [43]NASA Web Privacy, [44]Accessibility, [45]Notices;
                A service of: [46]ASD at [47]NASA / [48]GSFC,
                         [49]NASA Science Activation
                           & [50]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2504/NGC1514_WebbSchmidt_1983.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.esa.int/
   5. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/
   6. https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/ressler/
   7. https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/
   8. https://science.nasa.gov/people-of-nasa/meet-a-citizen-scientist-judy-schmidt/
   9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fusion
  10. https://science.nasa.gov/sun/
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap000910.html
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_nebula
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_1514
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_1514#/media/File:NGC_1514_by_Goran_Nilsson_&_The_Liverpool_Telescope.jpg
  15. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/09_visiblelight/
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211226.html
  17. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/07_infraredwaves/
  18. https://www.flickr.com/photos/geckzilla/54206737999/in/datetaken/
  19. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010AJ....140.1882R/abstract
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190929.html
  21. https://content.cld.iop.org/journals/1538-3881/140/6/1882/revision1/aj370110f9_lr.gif
  22. https://www.geogebra.org/m/sdFGxeYM
  23. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016ApJ...829...73M/abstract
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap970219.html
  25. https://www.medivetgroup.com/globalassets/assets/advice-articles/multi-cat/two-cats-cleaning.jpg
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/random_apod.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250414.html
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  31. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  33. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  36. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250415
  37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250416.html
  38. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  39. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  40. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  41. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  42. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  43. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  46. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  47. https://www.nasa.gov/
  48. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  49. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  50. http://www.mtu.edu/