Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

WR 104: Pinwheel Star

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for April 9, 1999 is “WR 104: Pinwheel Star,” an image. It is credited to Credit: U.C. Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory, W.M. Keck Observatory. The original explanation runs about 154 words.

WR 104: Pinwheel Star
Credit: U.C. Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory, W.M. Keck Observatory Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Like a cosmic lawn sprinkler, dust streaming from a rotating star system creates a pinwheel pattern in this false color infrared image . Astronomers discovered the surprising star dust scenario using a sophisticated interferometer and the 10 meter Keck I telescope to observe the bright Wolf-Rayet star WR 104.”

— APOD editors, April 9, 1999

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
April 9, 1999
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: U.C. Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory, W.M. Keck Observatory
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 154 words

All of April 1999 → · 1999 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

On this day: April 9 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Electronics Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB Read astronomy and space-history books anywhere. View on Amazon → Electronics Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones Noise-cancelling headphones for documentaries and launch livestreams. View on Amazon →

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.