Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Halloween and the Wizard Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 31, 2023 is “Halloween and the Wizard Nebula,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Richard McInnis). The original explanation runs about 154 words.

The center of the Wizard Nebula is shown featuring gas glowing in red and dust reflecting in blue. Dark dust pillars are seen throughout the image. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Richard McInnis Copyrighted 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 31, 2023

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
October 31, 2023
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Richard McInnis
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 154 words

All of October 2023 → · 2023 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: October 31 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.