Astronomy Picture of the Day · July 7, 2026

NGC 6188: Dragons of Ara

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for July 7, 2026 is “NGC 6188: Dragons of Ara,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Rod Prazeres). The original explanation runs about 145 words.

The featured image shows the nebulae NGC 6188 and NGC 6164. The former is a star forming region near the image center filled with glowing gas and laced with dust that resembles dragons. The smaller NGC 6164 is seen on the lower right is an — Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Rod Prazeres Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Where can you find dragons fighting in the night sky? In the southern constellation of the Altar: Ara .”

— APOD editors, July 7, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: July 7, 2026
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Rod Prazeres
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 145 words

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, July 7, 2026 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-july-7-ngc-6188-dragons-of-ara

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.