Astronomy Picture of the Day · January 23, 2001

Spherical Planetary Nebula Abell 39

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 23, 2001 is “Spherical Planetary Nebula Abell 39,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Credit & Copyright: George Jacoby ( WIYN Obs. ) et al., WIYN , AURA , NOAO , NSF). The original explanation runs about 135 words.

From the explanation

“One of the largest spheres in our Galaxy is giving valuable clues about the chemical composition of stars by its very shape. Planetary nebula Abell 39 , now six light-years across, was once a sun-like star’s outer atmosphere expelled thousands of years ago.”

— APOD editors, January 23, 2001

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: January 23, 2001
Type: Image
Credit: Credit & Copyright: George Jacoby ( WIYN Obs. ) et al., WIYN , AURA , NOAO , NSF
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 135 words

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Topics in this entry

Nebulae Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: January 23 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, January 23, 2001 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2001-january-23-spherical-planetary-nebula-abell-39

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.