Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2019 September 25
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                 The Pelican Nebula in Gas, Dust, and Stars
                  Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Yannick Akar

   Explanation: The Pelican Nebula is slowly being transformed. IC 5070,
   the official designation, is divided from the larger [4]North America
   Nebula by a [5]molecular cloud filled with dark [6]dust. The
   [7]Pelican, however, receives much study because it is a particularly
   active mix of [8]star formation and evolving gas clouds. The
   [9]featured picture was produced in three specific colors -- light
   emitted by [10]sulfur, [11]hydrogen, and [12]oxygen -- that can help us
   to better understand these interactions. The light from young energetic
   stars is slowly transforming the cold gas to hot gas, with the
   [13]advancing boundary between the two, known as an [14]ionization
   front, visible in bright orange on the right. Particularly dense
   [15]tentacles of cold gas remain. Millions of years from now this
   nebula might no longer be known as the [16]Pelican, as the [17]balance
   and placement of stars and gas will surely leave something that appears
   completely different.

                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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    Authors & editors: [29]Robert Nemiroff ([30]MTU) & [31]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([32]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [33]Specific rights apply.
              [34]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [35]ASD at [36]NASA / [37]GSFC
                           & [38]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1909/Pelican_Akar_4554.jpg
   3. https://www.astrobin.com/users/dotmod/
   4. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap000501.html
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap141214.html
   6. http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/stardust/interstellardust.cfm
   7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1jUJQyzv8M
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120722.html
   9. https://www.astrobin.com/421162/B/
  10. http://periodic.lanl.gov/16.shtml
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen
  12. http://www.chemicool.com/elements/oxygen.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180205.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap031013.html
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tentacle#/media/File:Snail-front-0A.jpg
  16. http://apod.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?tquery=Pelican
  17. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1980ApJ...239..121B/abstract
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190924.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  22. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  27. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=190925
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190926.html
  29. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  30. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  31. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  32. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  35. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  36. https://www.nasa.gov/
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  38. http://www.mtu.edu/