Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Halloween and the Ghost Head Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 24, 2021 is “Halloween and the Ghost Head Nebula,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: Mohammad Heydari-Malayeri ( Observatoire de Paris ) et al., ESA , NASA. The original explanation runs about 162 words.

The picture shows the Ghost Head Nebula as captured by NASA and ESA's Hubble Space Telescope Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Image Credit: Mohammad Heydari-Malayeri ( Observatoire de Paris ) et al., ESA , NASA Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Halloween’s origin is ancient and astronomical. Since the fifth century BC, Halloween has been celebrated as a cross-quarter day , a day halfway between an equinox (equal day / equal night) and a solstice (minimum day / maximum night in the northern hemisphere).”

— APOD editors, October 24, 2021

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
October 24, 2021
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: Mohammad Heydari-Malayeri ( Observatoire de Paris ) et al., ESA , NASA
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 162 words

All of October 2021 → · 2021 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

NebulaeGalaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: October 24 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.