Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

NGC 7027: The Pillow Planetary Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for August 31, 2025 is “NGC 7027: The Pillow Planetary Nebula,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble ; Processing: Delio Tolivia Cadrecha. The original explanation runs about 169 words.

A starfield surrounds a bright nebula. The nebula is somewhat rectangular like a pillow and is mostly white with brown filaments inside and blue shells surrounding. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble ; Processing: Delio Tolivia Cadrecha Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What created this unusual planetary nebula? Dubbed the Pillow Nebula and the Flying Carpet Nebula, NGC 7027 is one of the smallest, brightest, and most unusually shaped planetary nebula s known.”

— APOD editors, August 31, 2025

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
August 31, 2025
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble ; Processing: Delio Tolivia Cadrecha
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 169 words

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Topics in this entry

Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: August 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.