Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

The Complete Sharpless Catalog: 313 Nebulas

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 2, 2026 is “The Complete Sharpless Catalog: 313 Nebulas,” an image. It is credited to Bing Xin. The original explanation runs about 148 words.

313 separate images of nebulae that resemble a variety of shapes and brightnesses. Some are dim and whispy, others are bright and create structure. Each image traces the complex behavior of interstellar gas.
Credit: Bing Xin Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What does it take to image hundreds of nebulas? Today’s image contains the entire Sharpless Catalog of H II Regions, totaling 313 objects.”

— APOD editors, October 2, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
October 2, 2026
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Bing Xin
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 148 words

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Topics in this entry

Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

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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.