                        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.

                                2024 April 3
      A nebula is shown that appears like a firework. Radial filaments
    connect a glowing halo to a star in the center that appears as a blue
       dot. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                            Unusual Nebula Pa 30
       Image Credit: NASA, ESA, USAF, NSF; Processing: G. Ferrand (U.
      Manitoba), J. English (U. Manitoba), R. A. Fesen (Dartmouth), C.
           Treyturik (U. Manitoba); Text: G. Ferrand & J. English

   Explanation: What created this unusual celestial firework? The nebula,
   dubbed Pa 30, appears in the same sky direction now as a bright "guest
   star" did in the year 1181. Although Pa 30's filaments look similar to
   that created by a nova (for example GK Per), and a planetary nebula
   (for example NGC 6751), some astronomers now propose that it was
   created by a rare type of supernova: a thermonuclear Type Iax, and so
   is (also) named SN 1181. In this model, the supernova was not the
   result of the detonation of a single star, but rather a blast that
   occurred when two white dwarf stars spiraled together and merged. The
   blue dot in the center is hypothesized to be a zombie star, the remnant
   white dwarf that somehow survived this supernova-level explosion. The
   featured image combines images and data obtained with infrared (WISE),
   visible (MDM, Pan-STARRS), and X-ray (Chandra, XMM) telescopes. Future
   observations and analyses may tell us more.

             NASA Coverage: Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 April 8
                   Tomorrow's picture: the comet at night
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       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.

