                        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.

                               2026 January 7
      A starfield surrounds a giant red nebula. The nebula has so many
   winding filaments that it has been dubbed the Spaghetti Nebula. Please
             see the explanation for more detailed information.

             Simeis 147: The Spaghetti Nebula Supernova Remnant
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Saverio Ferretti

   Explanation: Its popular nickname is the Spaghetti Nebula. Officially
   cataloged as Simeis 147 and Sharpless 2-240, it is easy to get lost
   following the looping and twisting filaments of this intricate
   supernova remnant. Seen toward the boundary of the constellations of
   the Bull (Taurus) and the Charioteer (Auriga), the impressive gas
   structure covers nearly 3 degrees on the sky, equivalent to 6 full
   moons. That's about 150 light-years at the stellar debris cloud's
   estimated distance of 3,000 light-years. The supernova remnant has an
   estimated age of about 40,000 years, meaning light from this powerful
   stellar explosion first reached the Earth when woolly mammoths roamed
   free. Besides the expanding remnant, this cosmic catastrophe left
   behind a pulsar, a fast-spinning neutron star that is the remnant of
   the original star's core. The featured image was captured last month
   from Forca Canapine, Italy.

                   Portal Universe: Random APOD Generator
              Tomorrow's picture: hidden galaxy in the giraffe
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