                        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.

                                2023 July 26
    A sprawling nebula is pictured with gold tinted gas covering the top,
   blue, the middle, and dark brown the bottom. Stars cover the frame but
   are most prominent near the bottom. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                          IC 4628: The Prawn Nebula
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Stern

   Explanation: South of Antares, in the tail of the nebula-rich
   constellation Scorpius, lies emission nebula IC 4628. Nearby hot,
   massive stars, millions of years young, irradiate the nebula with
   invisible ultraviolet light, stripping electrons from atoms. The
   electrons eventually recombine with the atoms to produce the visible
   nebular glow, dominated by the red emission of hydrogen. At an
   estimated distance of 6,000 light-years, the region shown is about 250
   light-years across, spanning over three full moons on the sky. The
   nebula is also cataloged as Gum 56 for Australian astronomer Colin
   Stanley Gum, but seafood-loving deep sky-enthusiasts might know this
   cosmic cloud as the Prawn Nebula. The graceful color image is a new
   astronomical composition taken over several nights in April from Rio
   Hurtado, Chile.

                  Tomorrow's picture: galaxies in the river
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