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 September 10
   [2]A brown nebula in the shape of a running giraffe is seen in front of
                           a dark field of stars.

                        LDN 1295: The Giraffe Nebula
                Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Alessandro Merga
     Text: [4]Cecilia Chirenti ([5]NASA [6]GSFC, [7]UMCP, [8]CRESST II)

   Explanation: [9]What does this image look like to you? Many see a
   [10]giraffe facing right, with neck stretched high and long legs
   mid-stride (but some may see a [11]squirrel instead). The [12]featured
   image shows [13]LDN 1295, also called the Giraffe Nebula, in the
   [14]constellation of the mythical queen of [15]Aethiopia
   ([16]Cassiopeia). It is an object in the [17]Lynds Catalogue of
   [18]Dark Nebulas, compiled in [19]1962 by American astronomer
   [20]Beverly Lynds, a pioneer for women in astronomy and astrophysics.
   [21]Dark nebulas are interstellar [22]clouds of dust and gas that block
   the visible light of the stars [23]behind them. These [24]nebulas are
   often faint and challenging targets for astrophotographers. Why do we
   see animal shapes and faces in nebulas, clouds, and pretty much
   [25]everywhere? It is due to [26]pareidolia, our tendency to look for
   [27]familiar patterns. Pareidolia may provide animals with an
   [28]evolutionary advantage, for example in identifying (and avoiding)
   predators.

       APOD's main NASA site is [29]moving : From [30]apod.nasa.gov to
                          [31]science.nasa.gov/apod
                      Tomorrow's picture: freewheeling
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    Authors & editors: [43]Robert Nemiroff ([44]MTU) & [45]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([46]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [47]Specific rights apply.
            [48]NASA Web Privacy, [49]Accessibility, [50]Notices;
                A service of: [51]ASD at [52]NASA / [53]GSFC,
                         [54]NASA Science Activation
                           & [55]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2609/LDN1295_giraffe.jpg
   3. https://www.instagram.com/alessandro_merga
   4. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/cecilia.chirenti
   5. https://www.nasa.gov/
   6. https://www.nasa.gov/goddard/
   7. https://www.astro.umd.edu/people/cecilia-chirenti
   8. https://cresst2.umd.edu/
   9. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260910
  10. https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1589306661079-8b34ef390d3e
  11. https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1687704809145-c37b3c3362e2
  12. https://www.instagram.com/p/DXy4r1OjWD8/
  13. https://in-the-sky.org/data/object.php?id=LDN_1295
  14. https://iauarchive.eso.org/public/themes/constellations/
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aethiopia
  16. https://noirlab.edu/public/education/constellations/cassiopeia/
  17. https://in-the-sky.org/data/catalogue.php?cat=LDN
  18. https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/*/Dark+Nebula
  19. https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1962ApJS....7....1L
  20. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/beverly-turner-lynds-1929-2024
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251210.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260731.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap141120.html
  24. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stories/quick-reads/decoding-nebulae/
  25. https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1640382875981-72c2ea943022
  26. https://hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2024/winter/pareidolia-faces-in-nature/
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210704.html
  28. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-47242-x
  29. https://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?t=45023
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/
  31. https://science.nasa.gov/apod
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260909.html
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  36. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  38. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  40. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  41. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260910
  42. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260911.html
  43. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/
  44. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/
  45. https://inspirehep.net/authors/1073087
  46. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  47. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  48. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  49. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  50. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  51. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/astrophysics/
  52. https://www.nasa.gov/
  53. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  54. https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/
  55. http://www.mtu.edu/