Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Spherical Planetary Nebula Abell 39

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 8, 2012 is “Spherical Planetary Nebula Abell 39,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright : Adam Block , Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter , University of Arizona). The original explanation runs about 119 words.

Spherical Planetary Nebula Abell 39
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright : Adam Block , Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter , University of Arizona Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Ghostly in appearance, Abell 39 is a remarkably simple, spherical nebula about five light-years across. Well within our own Milky Way galaxy, the cosmic sphere is roughly 7,000 light-years distant toward the constellation Hercules.”

— APOD editors, October 8, 2012

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
October 8, 2012
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright : Adam Block , Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter , University of Arizona
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 119 words

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Topics in this entry

The Milky WayNebulaeGalaxies

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.