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APOD
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.
NGC 7380: The Wizard Nebula
Explanation: What powers are being wielded in the Wizard Nebula? Gravitation strong enough to form stars, and stellar wind s and radiations powerful enough to create and dissolve towers of gas . Located only 8,000 light years away, the Wizard nebula, pictured above , surrounds developing open star cluster NGC 7380. Visually, the interplay of stars, gas, and dust has created a shape that appears to some like a fictional medieval sorcerer . The active star forming region spans 100 about light years, making it appear larger than the angular extent of the Moon. The Wizard Nebula can be located with a small telescope toward the constellation of the King of Aethiopia ( Cepheus ). Although the nebula may last only a few million years, some of the stars being formed may outlive our Sun.
Imagine: What shape(s) do you see in the nebula?
| Date | November 2, 2011 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit & Copyright: Rolf Geissinger |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |