Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

NGC 5189: An Unusually Complex Planetary Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 19, 2012 is “NGC 5189: An Unusually Complex Planetary Nebula,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble Heritage Team ( STScI / AURA ). The original explanation runs about 184 words.

NGC 5189: An Unusually Complex Planetary Nebula
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble Heritage Team ( STScI / AURA ) Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Why is this nebula so complex? When a star like our Sun is dying, it will cast off its outer layers, usually into a simple overall shape.”

— APOD editors, December 19, 2012

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 19, 2012
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble Heritage Team ( STScI / AURA )
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 184 words

All of December 2012 → · 2012 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The SunNebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 19 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.