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                           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 March 18   
       A dark brown cloud that appears similar to a shark is seen against a   
       background filled with stars and less prominent blue-shaded nebulas.   
             Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                            LDN 1235: The Shark Nebula   
                     Image Credit & Copyright: Timothy Martin   
      
      Explanation: There is no sea on Earth large enough to contain the Shark   
      nebula. This predator apparition poses us no danger as it is composed   
      only of interstellar gas and dust. Dark dust like that featured here is   
      somewhat like cigarette smoke and created in the cool atmospheres of   
      giant stars. After expelling gas and gravitationally recondensing,   
      massive stars may carve intricate structures into their birth cloud   
      using their high energy light and fast stellar winds as sculpting   
      tools. The heat they generate evaporates the murky molecular cloud as   
      well as causing ambient hydrogen gas to disperse and glow red. During   
      disintegration, we humans can enjoy imagining these great clouds as   
      common icons, like we do for water clouds on Earth. Including smaller   
      dust nebulae such as Van den Bergh 149 & 150, the Shark nebula,   
      sometimes cataloged as LDN 1235, spans about 15 light years and lies   
      about 650 light years away toward the constellation of the King of   
      Aethiopia (Cepheus).   
      
                   Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator   
                          Tomorrow's picture: open space   
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          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
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