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. 2026 January 19 [2]A colorful starfield surrounds a giant nearly-spherical nebula that has texture and stripes like watermelon. The lower right of the nebula is open making it appear like a medulla oblongata -- the stem that connects to a brain. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. CTB 1: The Medulla Nebula Image Credit: [3]Pierre Konzelmann Explanation: What powers this unusual nebula? CTB 1 is the expanding gas shell that was left when a massive star toward the constellation of [4]Cassiopeia exploded about 10,000 years ago. The star likely detonated when it ran out of elements, near its core, that could create [5]stabilizing pressure with [6]nuclear fusion. The resulting [7]supernova remnant, nicknamed the Medulla Nebula for its [8]brain-like shape, still glows in [9]visible light because of the heat generated by its collision with confining [10]interstellar gas. Why [11]the nebula also glows in [12]X-ray light, though, [13]remains a topic of research. One hypothesis holds that an energetic [14]pulsar was created and powers the nebula with a fast outwardly moving wind. Following this lead, a pulsar was [15]found in [16]radio waves that appears to have [17]been expelled by the [18]supernova explosion at over 1000 kilometers per second. Although the [19]Medulla Nebula appears as large as a [20]full moon, it is so faint that it took 84-hours of exposure with a small telescope in [21]Texas, [22]USA, to create the [23]featured image. Tomorrow's picture: volcano world __________________________________________________________________ [24]< | [25]Archive | [26]Submissions | [27]Index | [28]Search | [29]Calendar | [30]RSS | [31]Education | [32]About APOD | [33]Discuss | [34]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [35]Robert Nemiroff ([36]MTU) & [37]Jerry Bonnell ([38]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [39]Specific rights apply. [40]NASA Web Privacy, [41]Accessibility, [42]Notices; A service of: [43]ASD at [44]NASA / [45]GSFC, [46]NASA Science Activation & [47]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2601/Ctb1_Konzelmann_4009.jpg 3. https://app.astrobin.com/u/konzy 4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassiopeia_(constellation) 5. http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2011/ph241/olson1/ 6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fusion 7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernova_remnant 8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medulla_oblongata 9. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/09_visiblelight 10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130924.html 11. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018PASJ...70..110K/abstract 12. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/11_xrays 13. https://www.barkbusters.co.uk/images/articles/7a4120f095480e9f2a2ad2a165d90313.jpg 14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulsar 15. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019sros.confE.158K/abstract 16. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/05_radiowaves 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190813.html 18. https://youtu.be/aysiMbgml5g 19. https://www.gxccd.com/art?id=543&cat=1&lang=409 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160201.html 21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas 22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States 23. https://app.astrobin.com/u/konzy?i=tvj0k3#gallery 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260118.html 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 30. https://apod.com/feed.rss 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 33. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260119 34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260120.html 35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 36. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 37. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 38. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 40. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 41. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 42. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 43. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 44. https://www.nasa.gov/ 45. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 46. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 47. http://www.mtu.edu/