Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Near to the Heart Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 17, 2024 is “Near to the Heart Nebula,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Horne & Drew Evans). The original explanation runs about 155 words.

A wide star field is shown with several nebulae as identified by the rollover image. On the upper left is a large nebula named the Heart Nebula. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Horne & Drew Evans Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What excites the Heart Nebula? First, the large emission nebula on the upper left, catalogued as IC 1805 , looks somewhat like a human heart .”

— APOD editors, December 17, 2024

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 17, 2024
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Horne & Drew Evans
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 155 words

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Topics in this entry

Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 17 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.