Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

IRAS 20324: Evaporating Protostar

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for September 4, 2013 is “IRAS 20324: Evaporating Protostar,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble Heritage Team ( STScI / AURA ), and IPHAS. The original explanation runs about 223 words.

IRAS 20324: Evaporating Protostar
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble Heritage Team ( STScI / AURA ), and IPHAS Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Will this caterpillar-shaped interstellar cloud one day evolve into a butterfly-shaped nebula? No one is sure.”

— APOD editors, September 4, 2013

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
September 4, 2013
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble Heritage Team ( STScI / AURA ), and IPHAS
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 223 words

All of September 2013 → · 2013 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: September 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.