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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 July 13   
      A dark starfield appears around an unusually shaped nebula. The nebula   
       has two main lobes on the left and the right and may seem to resemble   
         an ant. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                       Planetary Nebula Mz3: The Ant Nebula   
       Image Credit: NASA, ESA, R. Sahai (JPL) et al., Hubble Heritage Team   
      
      Explanation: Why isn't this ant a big sphere? Planetary nebula Mz3 is   
      being cast off by a star similar to our Sun that is, surely, round. Why   
      then would the gas that is streaming away create an ant-shaped nebula   
      that is distinctly not round? Clues might include the high   
      1000-kilometer per second speed of the expelled gas, the light-year   
      long length of the structure, and the magnetism of the star featured   
      here at the nebula's center. One possible answer is that Mz3 is hiding   
      a second, dimmer star that orbits close in to the bright star. A   
      competing hypothesis holds that the central star's own spin and   
      magnetic field are channeling the gas. Since the central star appears   
      to be so similar to our own Sun, astronomers hope that increased   
      understanding of the history of this giant space ant can provide useful   
      insight into the likely future of our own Sun and Earth.   
      
                   Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator   
                        Tomorrow's picture: twisted galaxy   
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          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
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