                        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 August 19
   A red emission nebula is shown against a busy starfield with many dark
    dust filaments near the nebula's center. Near the bottom of the image
     is a smaller blue reflection nebula. Please see the explanation for
                         more detailed information.

                         IC 5146: The Cocoon Nebula
                Image Credit & Copyright: Luis Romero Ventura

   Explanation: Inside the Cocoon Nebula is a newly developing cluster of
   stars. Cataloged as IC 5146, the beautiful nebula is nearly 15
   light-years wide. Soaring high in northern summer night skies, it's
   located some 4,000 light years away toward the constellation of the
   Swan (Cygnus). Like other star forming regions, it stands out in red,
   glowing, hydrogen gas excited by young, hot stars, and dust-reflected
   starlight at the edge of an otherwise invisible molecular cloud. In
   fact, the bright star found near the center of this nebula is likely
   only a few hundred thousand years old, powering the nebular glow as it
   clears out a cavity in the molecular cloud's star forming dust and gas.
   A 48-hour long integration resulted in this exceptionally deep color
   view tracing tantalizing features within and surrounding the dusty
   stellar nursery.

                     Tomorrow's picture: high energy sky
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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