Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

A Spiral Nebula Surrounding Star R Sculptoris

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 16, 2012 is “A Spiral Nebula Surrounding Star R Sculptoris,” an image. It is credited to Visualization Credit: ALMA Observatory ( ESO / NAOJ / NRAO ). The original explanation runs about 196 words.

A Spiral Nebula Surrounding Star R Sculptoris
Credit: Visualization Credit: ALMA Observatory ( ESO / NAOJ / NRAO ) Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What’s happening around that star? An unusual spiral structure has been discovered around the Milky Way star R Sculptoris , a red giant star located about 1,500 light years away toward the constellation of the Sculptor ( Sculptoris ).”

— APOD editors, October 16, 2012

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
October 16, 2012
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Visualization Credit: ALMA Observatory ( ESO / NAOJ / NRAO )
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 196 words

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Topics in this entry

The Milky WayNebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: October 16 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.