Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Light Echoes from V838 Mon

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 4, 2011 is “Light Echoes from V838 Mon,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit : NASA , ESA, H. E. Bond (STScI). The original explanation runs about 146 words.

Light Echoes from V838 Mon
Credit: Image Credit : NASA , ESA, H. E. Bond (STScI) Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“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. Then, just as suddenly, it faded.”

— APOD editors, December 4, 2011

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 4, 2011
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit : NASA , ESA, H. E. Bond (STScI)
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 146 words

All of December 2011 → · 2011 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The Milky WayGalaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 4 in other years

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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.