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
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    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/