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 January 3
The featured image shows a line of bright stars strewn diagonally
across a starfield of more dim stars. A cluster of stars is also visible
near the top left of the image. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Kemble’s Cascade of Stars
Image Credit & Copyright: Tommy Lease

The line of stars is not fake. When seen with binoculars, Kemble's Cascade of stars is awe-inspiring. Kemble'sCascade is not a constellation like the Big Dipper. There is a constellation of giraffes in the northern sky. The string of stars spans over five times the width of the full moon. Lucian Kemble popularized Kemble'sCascade, which stretched from the upper left to the lower right. There is a bright object near the top left of the image.

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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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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 January 4
The featured image shows a distant galaxy on the left next to a gas cloud on the right. An opening in the gas cloud is on the same side
as the galaxy.
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

CG4: The Globule and the Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby & Mark Hanson

Explanation: Can a gas cloud eat a galaxy? It's not even close. The "claw" of this odd looking "creature" in the featured photo is a gas cloud known as a cometary globule. This globule, however, has ruptured. Cometary globules are typically characterized by dusty heads and elongated tails. These features cause cometary globules to have visual similarities to comets, but in reality they are very much different. Globules are frequently the birthplaces of stars, and many show very young stars in their heads. The reason for the rupture in the head of this object is not yet known. The galaxy to the left of the globule is huge, very far in the distance, and only placed near CG4 by chance superposition.

Discovery + Outreach: Graduate student research position open for APOD
Tomorrow's picture: open space

< | Archive | Submissions | Index | Search | Calendar | RSS | Education | About APOD | Discuss | >

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.