                        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.

                                 2025 June 9
   A starfield is shown with many stars and several faint light brown dust
    clouds. In the center is a large cloud with brown dust and gas shells
         lined in blue. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

           Between Scylla and Charybdis: A Double Cosmic Discovery
       Image Credit: M. Drechsler, Y. Sainty, A. Soto, N. Martino, L.
       Leroux-Gere, S. Khallouqui, & A. Kaeouach; Text: Ogetay Kayali
                             (Michigan Tech U.)

   Explanation: Can you identify this celestial object? Likely not —
   because this is a discovery image. Massive stars forge heavy elements
   in their cores and, after a few million years, end their lives in
   powerful supernova explosions. These remnants cool relatively quickly
   and fade, making them difficult to detect. To uncover such faint,
   previously unknown supernova remnants, a dedicated group of amateur
   astrophotographers searched through sky surveys for possible supernova
   remnant candidates. The result: the first-ever image of supernova
   remnant G115.5+9.1 — named Scylla by its discoverers—glowing faintly in
   the constellation of the mythological King of Aethiopia: Cepheus.
   Emission from hydrogen atoms in the remnant is shown in red, and faint
   emission from oxygen is shown in hues of blue. Surprisingly, another
   discovery lurked to the upper right: a faint, previously unknown
   planetary nebula candidate. In keeping with mythological tradition, it
   was named Charybdis (Sai 2) — a nod to the ancient Greek expression
   "caught between Scylla and Charybdis" from Homer’s Odyssey.

                     Tomorrow's picture: leaky space orb
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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.

