Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

IC 418: The Spirograph Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for April 27, 2025 is “IC 418: The Spirograph Nebula,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , ESA , and the Hubble Heritage Team ( STScI / AURA ); Acknowledgement: R. Sahai ( JPL ) et al.. The original explanation runs about 168 words.

A complex orange and purple nebula with a complex texture is shown in front of a dark starfield. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , and the Hubble Heritage Team ( STScI / AURA ); Acknowledgement: R. Sahai ( JPL ) et al. Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What is creating the strange texture of IC 418? Dubbed the Spirograph Nebula for its resemblance to drawings from a cyclical drawing tool , planetary nebula IC 418 shows patterns that are not well understood.”

— APOD editors, April 27, 2025

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
April 27, 2025
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , and the Hubble Heritage Team ( STScI / AURA ); Acknowledgement: R. Sahai ( JPL ) et al.
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 168 words

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Topics in this entry

Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: April 27 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.