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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 December 17   
       A starfield surrounds the edges of a large nebula. The nebula, itself   
        full of stars, has a blue glowing interior and an orange periphery   
      dotted with dust pillars. Please see the explanation for more detailed   
                                   information.   
      
                                W5: The Soul Nebula   
                      Image Credit & Copyright: Jeffrey Horne   
      
      Explanation: Stars are forming in the Soul of the Queen of Aethopia.   
      More specifically, a large star forming region called the Soul Nebula   
      can be found in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia, whom   
      Greek mythology credits as the vain wife of a King who long ago ruled   
      lands surrounding the upper Nile river. Also known as Westerhout 5   
      (W5), the Soul Nebula houses several open clusters of stars, ridges and   
      pillars darkened by cosmic dust, and huge evacuated bubbles formed by   
      the winds of young massive stars. Located about 6,500 light years away,   
      the Soul Nebula spans about 100 light years and is usually imaged next   
      to its celestial neighbor the Heart Nebula (IC 1805). The featured   
      image, taken from near Nashville, Tennessee, USA, is a composite of 234   
      hours of exposures made in different colors: red as emitted by hydrogen   
      gas, yellow as emitted by sulfur, and blue as emitted by oxygen.   
      
                    Explore the Universe: Random APOD Generator   
                   Tomorrow's picture: Jupiter and the Geminids   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          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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