Astronomy Picture of the Day

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                                2018 August 4
                                      [2]
                           Central Cygnus Skyscape
   Image Credit & Copyright [3] : Mauro Narduzzi [4] (acquisition) / Roberto
                          Colombari [5] (processing)

Explanation: Supergiant [6] star Gamma Cygni lies at the center of the
Northern Cross [7] , famous asterism in the constellation Cygnus the Swan.
Known by its proper name, Sadr [8] , the bright star also lies at the center
of this gorgeous skyscape [9] , featuring a complex of stars, dust clouds, and
glowing nebulae along the plane of our Milky Way galaxy [10] . The field of
view spans [11]  almost 4 degrees (eight Full Moons) on the sky and includes
emission nebula IC 1318 and open star cluster NGC 6910. Left of Gamma Cygni
and shaped like two glowing cosmic wings divided by a long dark dust lane, IC
1318's popular name is understandably the Butterfly Nebula. Above and left of
Gamma Cygni, are the young, still tightly grouped [12]  stars of NGC 6910.
Some distance estimates for Gamma Cygni place it at around 1,800 light-years
while estimates for IC 1318 and NGC 6910 [13] range from 2,000 to 5,000
light-years.

                      Tomorrow's picture: Heart of Orion

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [25] (MTU [26] ) & Jerry Bonnell [27]
                                  (UMCP [28] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [29] .
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1808/AroundSadrNarduzziColombari.jpg
  [3] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [4] https://www.astrobin.com/users/ToolMayNARD/
  [5] https://www.facebook.com/roberto.colombari
  [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supergiant_star
  [7] ap101119.html
  [8] http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/sadr.html
  [9] https://www.astrobin.com/357476/0/?nc=user
  [10] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/285/ the-milky-way-galaxy/
  [11] ap061228.html
  [12] ap051118.html
  [13] http://www.univie.ac.at/webda/cgi-bin/ ocl_page.cgi?dirname=ngc6910
  [14] ap180803.html
  [15] archivepix.html
  [16] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [17] lib/aptree.html
  [18] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apo...
  [19] calendar/allyears.html
  [20] /apod.rss
  [21] lib/edlinks.html
  [22] lib/about_apod.html
  [23] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?dat...
  [24] ap180805.html
  [25] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [26] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [27] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnel...
  [28] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [29] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [30] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Priv...
  [31] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [32] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [33] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [34] http://www.mtu.edu/

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