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.

                                2023 April 9
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                      The Egg Nebula in Polarized Light
      Image Credit: [3]Hubble Heritage Team ([4]STScI / [5]AURA), [6]W.
             Sparks ([7]STScI) & [8]R. Sahai ([9]JPL), [10]NASA

   Explanation: Where is the center of the [11]Egg Nebula? Emerging from a
   cosmic egg, the star in the center of the Egg Nebula is casting away
   shells of gas and dust as it slowly transforms itself into a [12]white
   dwarf star. The Egg Nebula is a rapidly evolving pre- [13]planetary
   nebula spanning about one light year. It lies some 3,000 light-years
   away toward the northern constellation Cygnus. Thick dust blocks the
   center star from view, while the dust shells farther out reflect light
   from this star. [14]Light vibrating in the plane defined by each dust
   grain, the central star, and the observer is [15]preferentially
   reflected, causing an effect known as polarization. Measuring the
   orientation of the polarized light for the Egg Nebula gives clues to
   location of the hidden source. [16]Taken by Hubble's Advanced Camera
   for Surveys
   in 2002, this image is rendered in artifical "Easter-Egg" colors coded
   to [17]highlight the orientation of [18]polarization.

                       Tomorrow's picture: big chicken
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    Authors & editors: [30]Robert Nemiroff ([31]MTU) & [32]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([33]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [34]Specific rights apply.
              [35]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [36]ASD at [37]NASA / [38]GSFC,
                         [39]NASA Science Activation
                           & [40]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2304/egg_hst_0.jpg
   3. http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/commonpages/hhp.html
   4. http://www.stsci.edu/
   5. http://www.aura-astronomy.org/
   6. http://heritage.stsci.edu/2003/09/bio/bio_sparks.html
   7. http://www.stsci.edu/
   8. http://heritage.stsci.edu/2003/09/bio/bio_sahai.html
   9. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
  10. http://www.nasa.gov/
  11. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/1997/11/475-Image.html
  12. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1978PASA....3..220B/abstract
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_nebula
  14. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4580
  15. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/phyopt/polar.html
  16. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2003/09/1305-Image.html
  17. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/1997/11/475-Image.html
  18. https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/polarization-of-light.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230408.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  23. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  28. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230409
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230410.html
  30. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  31. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  32. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  33. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  35. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  36. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  39. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  40. http://www.mtu.edu/