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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 May 14   
      A dark starfield highlights a blue and pink nebula in its center. Some   
        dark lanes of dust are seen inside nebula's center. Please see the   
                    explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                         NGC 1360: The Robin's Egg Nebula   
        Image Credit & Copyright: Andrea Iorio, Vikas Chander & ShaRA Team   
      
      Explanation: This pretty nebula lies some 1,500 light-years away, its   
      shape and color in this telescopic view reminiscent of a robin's egg.   
      The cosmic cloud spans about 3 light-years, nestled securely within the   
      boundaries of the southern constellation of the Furnace (Fornax).   
      Recognized as a planetary nebula, egg-shaped NGC 1360 doesn't represent   
      a beginning, though. Instead, it corresponds to a brief and final phase   
      in the evolution of an aging star. In fact, visible at the center of   
      the nebula, the central star of NGC 1360 is known to be a binary star   
      system likely consisting of two evolved white dwarf stars, less massive   
      but much hotter than the Sun. Their intense and otherwise invisible   
      ultraviolet radiation has stripped away electrons from the atoms in   
      their mutually surrounding gaseous shroud. The blue-green hue inside of   
      NGC 1360 seen here is the strong emission produced as electrons   
      recombine with doubly ionized oxygen atoms.   
      
        Celestial Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?   
                                    (post 1995)   
                          Tomorrow's picture: pluto below   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
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