Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                               2026 January 5
   [2]A dark field surrounds a red nebula. The shape of the nebula appears
                               like the letter

                    The Red Rectangle Nebula from Hubble
     Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]ESA, [5]Hubble; Processing & [6]License:
                               [7]Judy Schmidt

   Explanation: How was the unusual Red Rectangle nebula created? At the
   nebula's center is an aging [8]binary star system that surely powers
   the nebula but does not, as yet, explain its colors. The unusual shape
   of the [9]Red Rectangle is likely due to a thick dust torus which
   pinches the otherwise spherical [10]outflow into tip-touching [11]cone
   shapes. Because we [12]view the torus edge-on, the boundary edges of
   the [13]cone shapes seem to form an [14]X. The distinct rungs suggest
   the [15]outflow occurs in fits and starts. The unusual colors of the
   nebula are [16]less well understood, however, and [17]speculation holds
   that they are partly provided by [18]hydrocarbon molecules that may
   actually be [19]building blocks for organic life. The Red Rectangle
   nebula lies about 2,300 [20]light years away [21]towards the
   constellation of the Unicorn ([22]Monoceros). The nebula is [23]shown
   here in great detail as a reprocessed image from [24]Hubble Space
   Telescope. In a few million years, as one of the central [25]stars
   becomes [26]further depleted of nuclear fuel, the Red Rectangle nebula
   will likely [27]bloom into a [28]planetary nebula.

                   Tomorrow's picture: jupiter-sized mess
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    Authors & editors: [40]Robert Nemiroff ([41]MTU) & [42]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([43]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [44]Specific rights apply.
            [45]NASA Web Privacy, [46]Accessibility, [47]Notices;
                A service of: [48]ASD at [49]NASA / [50]GSFC,
                         [51]NASA Science Activation
                           & [52]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2601/RedRectangle_HubbleSchmidt_1080.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. http://www.esa.int/
   5. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/
   6. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
   7. https://science.nasa.gov/people-of-nasa/meet-a-citizen-scientist-judy-schmidt/
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap991219.html
   9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_rectangle
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070811.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070416.html
  12. https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/torus.html
  13. http://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/cone.html
  14. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X
  15. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011ApJ...740...27K/abstract
  16. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009Ap&SS.323..337G/abstract
  17. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016A&A...593A..92B/abstract
  18. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycyclic_aromatic_hydrocarbon
  19. https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Aromatic_World.html
  20. https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/what-is-a-light-year/
  21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lJGzueLRQY
  22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoceros
  23. https://www.flickr.com/photos/geckzilla/10159700064
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090525.html
  25. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stars/
  26. https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https://preview.redd.it/sleepy-cat-is-very-sleepy-v0-yt5si7z5jheb1.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=dc7a1acf934da2d6f5a68d111fb17b99c0472d12
  27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjCzPp-MK48
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/planetary_nebulae.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260104.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  33. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  35. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  38. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260105
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260106.html
  40. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  41. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  42. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  43. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  44. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  46. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  47. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  48. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  49. https://www.nasa.gov/
  50. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  51. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  52. http://www.mtu.edu/