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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.   
      
                                   2023 June 14   
       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.   
      
                                 The Shark Nebula   
                     Image Credit & Copyright: Stephen Kennedy   
      
      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 being expelled with 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 Lynds Dark Nebula 1235 and Van den Bergh   
      149 & 150, the Shark nebula spans about 15 light years and lies about   
      650 light years away toward the constellation of the King of Aethiopia   
      (Cepheus).   
      
                          Tomorrow's picture: open space   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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