Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Light Echoes from V838 Mon

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 3, 2008 is “Light Echoes from V838 Mon,” an image. It is credited to Credit: NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team ( AURA / STScI ). The original explanation runs about 154 words.

Light Echoes from V838 Mon
Credit: NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team ( AURA / STScI ) Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What caused this outburst of V838 Mon? For reasons unknown, star V838 Mon ‘s outer surface suddenly greatly expanded with the result that it became the brightest star in the entire Milky Way Galaxy in January 2002.”

— APOD editors, February 3, 2008

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
February 3, 2008
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team ( AURA / STScI )
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 February 2008 → · 2008 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The Milky WayGalaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

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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.