                        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 February 11
    A star field has a red diffuse glow on the right-hand side. Distinct
     nebulas appear in the center and on the lower left. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                           The Spider and the Fly
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Dave Boddington

   Explanation: Will the spider ever catch the fly? Not if both are large
   emission nebulas toward the constellation of the Charioteer (Auriga).
   The spider-shaped gas cloud in the image center is actually an emission
   nebula labelled IC 417, while the smaller fly-shaped cloud on the left
   is dubbed NGC 1931 and is both an emission nebula and a reflection
   nebula. About 10,000 light-years distant, both nebulas harbor young
   star clusters. For scale, the more compact NGC 1931 (Fly) is about 10
   light-years across. The featured deep image, captured over 20 hours
   during late January in Berkshire UK, also shows more diffuse and
   red-glowing interstellar gas and dust.

                Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
                   Tomorrow's picture: asteroid revolution
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

