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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 August 22   
      
                               A Tale of Two Nebulae   
                       Image Credit & Copyright: Kent Biggs   
      
      Explanation: This colorful telescopic view towards the musical northern   
      constellation Lyra reveals the faint outer halos and brighter central   
      ring-shaped region of M57, popularly known as the Ring Nebula. To   
      modern astronomers M57 is a well-known planetary nebula. With a central   
      ring about one light-year across, M57 is definitely not a planet   
      though, but the gaseous shroud of one of the Milky Way's dying sun-like   
      stars. Roughly the same apparent size as M57, the fainter and more   
      often overlooked barred spiral galaxy at the left is IC 1296. In fact,   
      over 100 years ago IC 1296 would have been known as a spiral nebula. By   
      chance the pair are in the same field of view, and while they appear to   
      have similar sizes they are actually very far apart. At a distance of a   
      mere 2,000 light-years M57 is well within our own Milky Way galaxy.   
      Extragalactic IC 1296 (aka PGC62532) is more like 200,000,000   
      light-years distant. That's about 100,000 times farther away than M57   
      but since they appear roughly similar in size, former spiral nebula IC   
      1296 must also be about 100,000 times larger than planetary nebula M57.   
      Look closely at the sharp 21st century astroimage to spot even more   
      distant background galaxies scattered through the frame.   
      
                         Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
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                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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