                        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 June 4
    A spherical nebula shows concentric rings of different colors over a
                      dark background with a few stars.

                  A Planetary Nebula with Cosmic Buckyballs
       Image Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/J. Cami (Western University); Image
                           Processing: K. Beecroft
     Text: Jan Cami (Western University) & Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC,
                              UMCP, CRESST II)

   Explanation: What is happening inside this unusual nebula? Planetary
   nebula Tc 1, captured here in exquisite detail by the James Webb Space
   Telescope, is the celestial site where buckyballs were first identified
   in 2010. Buckminsterfullerene — as buckyballs are officially called —
   is a molecule with 60 carbon atoms (C[60]) arranged in the shape of a
   soccer ball. The molecule is named for architect Buckminster Fuller
   because of its resemblance to the geodesic dome he helped popularize.
   Webb’s new data reveal where the C[60] molecules live in this nebula,
   and the geometry is striking: they populate a thin spherical shell
   around the central star, visible here as the bright edge of the
   nebula’s glowing orange central region. Look closely near the nebula’s
   heart and a more perplexing feature emerges: a delicate structure
   shaped uncannily like an upside-down question mark, fitting punctuation
   for the many questions this nebula still poses.

                      Tomorrow's picture: what's next?
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

