                        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 11
     A delicate nebula in shades of blue and purple shines in front of a
      dark field of stars. The shape of the nebula resembles a mermaid.

                    The Mermaid Nebula Supernova Remnant
    Image Credit & Copyright: Data acquisition: Sy Ming Wong; Processing:
                                Guangyan Gao
             Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

   Explanation: Could the Little Mermaid turn into stardust instead of
   seafoam? It would seem so in this beautiful nebula. The featured image
   shows the Mermaid Nebula, also known as the Betta Fish Nebula, which is
   part of the G296.5+10.0 Supernova Remnant. The blue color visible here
   originates from doubly ionized oxygen (OIII), while the deep red is
   emitted by hydrogen gas. Estimated to be located a few thousand
   light-years away and about 10,000 years old, this nebula was formed
   when a massive star exploded as a supernova. It left behind a peculiar
   pulsar, a young radio-quiet neutron star that spins around about twice
   every second. The bright stars shown in the image are unassociated with
   the nebula. The pulsar can be detected in the X-rays but it does not
   have a confirmed detection in the optical (visible light) so far. As a
   result, the pulsar itself is not visible in this image.

                      Tomorrow's picture: what's next?
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

