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 September 3
     [2]A nebula is shown that appears roughly the shape of Africa. The
    complex radio image shows rings and jets. Please see the explanation
                       for more detailed information.

                     Cir X-1: Jets in the Africa Nebula
   Image Credit: [3]J. English ([4]U. Manitoba) & [5]K. Gasealahwe ([6]U.
        Cape Town), [7]SARAO, [8]MeerKAT, [9]ThunderKAT; Science: K.
   Gasealahwe, [10]K. Savard ([11]U. Oxford) [12]et al.; Text: J. English
                                 & K. Savard

   Explanation: How soon do jets form when a supernova gives birth to a
   neutron star? The Africa Nebula provides clues. This [13]supernova
   remnant surrounds [14]Circinus X-1, an [15]X-ray emitting [16]neutron
   star and the companion star it orbits. The image, from the
   [17]ThunderKAT collaboration on the [18]MeerKAT radio telescope
   situated in [19]South Africa, shows the bright core-and-lobe structure
   of [20]Cir X-1’s currently active [21]jets inside the nebula. A mere
   4600 years old, Cir X-1 could be the "Little Sister" of [22]microquasar
   [23]SS 433*. However, the newly discovered bubble exiting from a
   ring-like hole in the upper right of the nebula, along with a ring to
   the bottom left, demonstrate that other jets previously existed.
   [24]Computer simulations indicate those jets formed within 100 years of
   the [25]explosion and lasted up to 1000 years. [26]Surprisingly, to
   create the observed bubble, the jets need to be more powerful than
   [27]young neutron stars were previously thought to produce.

    Open Science: [28]Browse 3,700+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
                                   Library
                     Tomorrow's picture: spiral on edge
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    Authors & editors: [40]Robert Nemiroff ([41]MTU) & [42]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([43]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [44]Specific rights apply.
            [45]NASA Web Privacy, [46]Accessibility, [47]Notices;
                A service of: [48]ASD at [49]NASA / [50]GSFC,
                         [51]NASA Science Activation
                           & [52]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2508/CirX1_English_960.jpg
   3. http://www2.physics.umanitoba.ca/u/english/
   4. https://umanitoba.ca/science/physics-and-astronomy
   5. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kelebogile-Gasealahwe
   6. https://science.uct.ac.za/departments/astronomy
   7. https://www.sarao.ac.za/
   8. https://www.sarao.ac.za/science/meerkat/
   9. https://science.uct.ac.za/thunderkat
  10. https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/our-people/Savard
  11. https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/
  12. https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.22998
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernova_remnant
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150805.html
  15. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/11_xrays/
  16. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/neutron-stars-are-weird/
  17. https://science.uct.ac.za/thunderkat/about-us/project
  18. https://www.sarao.ac.za/science/meerkat/
  19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa
  20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circinus_X-1
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230919.html
  22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microquasar
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200831.html
  24. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025MNRAS.541.4011G/abstract
  25. https://youtu.be/wymMn-SmALY
  26. https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https://i.redd.it/2oy3au68a8511.jpg
  27. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_star
  28. https://ascl.net/code/all
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250902.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  33. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  35. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  38. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250903
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250904.html
  40. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  41. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  42. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  43. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  44. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  46. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  47. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  48. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  49. https://www.nasa.gov/
  50. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  51. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  52. http://www.mtu.edu/