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 June 9
      [2]A starfield surrounds a complex nebula with many red and blue
    filaments. Dark streams of dust also populate the nebula. Please see
               the explanation for more detailed information.

                                Thor's Helmet
        Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Josep Drudis, [4]Christian Sasse

   Explanation: Thor not only has [5]his own day (Thursday), but a helmet
   in the heavens. Popularly called Thor's Helmet, [6]NGC 2359 is a
   hat-shaped cosmic cloud with [7]wing-like appendages. Heroically sized
   even for a [8]Norse god, Thor's Helmet is about 30 light-years across.
   In fact, the cosmic head-covering is more like [9]an interstellar
   bubble, blown by a fast wind from the bright, massive [10]star near the
   bubble's center. Known as a [11]Wolf-Rayet star, the central star is an
   extremely [12]hot giant thought to be in a brief, pre-[13]supernova
   stage of [14]evolution. NGC 2359 [15]is located about 15,000
   [16]light-years away toward the constellation of the [17]Great Overdog.
   This [18]sharp image is a combination of deep images taken in light
   emitted by [19]hydrogen (red) and [20]oxygen (blue). The [21]star in
   the center of Thor's Helmet is expected to [22]explode in a spectacular
   [23]supernova sometime within the next few thousand years.

      Sky Surprise: [24]What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
                                (after 1995)
                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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    Authors & editors: [36]Robert Nemiroff ([37]MTU) & [38]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([39]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [40]Specific rights apply.
            [41]NASA Web Privacy, [42]Accessibility, [43]Notices;
                A service of: [44]ASD at [45]NASA / [46]GSFC,
                         [47]NASA Science Activation
                           & [48]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2606/Thor_Drudis_4389.jpg
   3. https://www.astrodrudis.com/
   4. https://www.instagram.com/sassephoto/
   5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thursday#Thor's_day
   6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_2359
   7. https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https://i.redd.it/t7lgewe598r11.jpg
   8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180419.html
  10. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stars/
  11. https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/a-wolf-rayet-bubble-and-the-early-solar-system/
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250203.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260507.html
  14. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/infographics/stellar-evolution
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250218.html
  16. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/
  17. https://webhome.phy.duke.edu/~hsg/134/poems/frost-canis-major.txt
  18. https://astrodrudis.com/ngc-2359-in-higher-resolution/
  19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen-alpha
  20. https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/paleoclimatology-the-oxygen-balance/
  21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WR_7
  22. https://youtu.be/i_PCaRn2xoE
  23. https://youtu.be/-yEBVm5o97E
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260608.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  29. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  31. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  34. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260609
  35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260610.html
  36. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/
  37. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/
  38. https://inspirehep.net/authors/1073087
  39. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  40. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  43. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  44. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/astrophysics/
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/
  46. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  47. https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/
  48. http://www.mtu.edu/