Astronomy Picture of the Day · January 19, 2026

CTB 1: The Medulla Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 19, 2026 is “CTB 1: The Medulla Nebula,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: Pierre Konzelmann. The original explanation runs about 181 words.

A colorful starfield surrounds a giant nearly-spherical nebula that has texture and stripes like watermelon. The lower right of the nebula is open making it appear like a medulla oblongata -- the stem that connects to a brain. Please see th — Credit: Image Credit: Pierre Konzelmann Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What powers this unusual nebula? CTB 1 is the expanding gas shell that was left when a massive star toward the constellation of Cassiopeia exploded about 10,000 years ago.”

— APOD editors, January 19, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: January 19, 2026
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit: Pierre Konzelmann
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 181 words

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Topics in this entry

Nebulae Supernovae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: January 19 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, January 19, 2026 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-january-19-ctb-1-the-medulla-nebula

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.