Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

IC 1318: The Butterfly Nebula in Gas and Dust

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for March 16, 2021 is “IC 1318: The Butterfly Nebula in Gas and Dust,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Alan Pham). The original explanation runs about 135 words.

IC 1318: The Butterfly Nebula in Gas and Dust. See Explanation.
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Alan Pham Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“In the constellation of the swan near the nebula of the pelican lies the gas cloud of the butterfly next to a star known as the hen. That star, given the proper name Sadr , is just to the right of the featured frame, but the central Butterfly Nebula , designated IC 1318, is shown in high resolution.”

— APOD editors, March 16, 2021

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
March 16, 2021
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Alan Pham
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 135 words

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Topics in this entry

Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: March 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.