Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

HR 4796A: A Recipe for Planets

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for April 22, 1998 is “HR 4796A: A Recipe for Planets,” an image. It is credited to Credit: C. Telesco (U. Florida) et al. (CfA, NOAO), OSCIR, Keck II. The original explanation runs about 118 words.

HR 4796A: A Recipe for Planets
Credit: C. Telesco (U. Florida) et al. (CfA, NOAO), OSCIR, Keck II Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Two hundred and twenty light years from Earth, planets are forming. Recent observations of the binary star system HR 4796 have shown that one of the stars is surrounded by a dusty gaseous disk.”

— APOD editors, April 22, 1998

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
April 22, 1998
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: C. Telesco (U. Florida) et al. (CfA, NOAO), OSCIR, Keck II
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 118 words

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.