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 July 13
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                             Webb's Rho Ophiuchi
     Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]ESA, [5]CSA, [6]STScI, Klaus Pontoppidan
                  (STScI), Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

   Explanation: [7]A mere 390 light-years away, Sun-like stars and future
   planetary systems are forming in the Rho Ophiuchi molecular cloud
   complex, the closest star-forming region to our fair planet. The James
   Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam peered into the nearby natal chaos to
   capture this infrared image at [8]an inspiring scale. The spectacular
   cosmic snapshot was released to celebrate the successful first year of
   [9]Webb's exploration of the Universe. [10]The frame spans less than a
   light-year across the Rho Ophiuchi region and contains about 50 young
   stars. Brighter stars clearly sport Webb's characteristic pattern of
   [11]diffraction spikes. Huge jets of shocked molecular hydrogen
   [12]blasting from newborn stars are red in the image, with the large,
   yellowish dusty cavity carved out by the energetic young star near its
   center. Near some stars in the stunning image are shadows cast by their
   [13]protoplanetary disks.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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    Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([28]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [29]Specific rights apply.
              [30]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [31]ASD at [32]NASA / [33]GSFC
                           & [34]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2307/STScI-01_RhoOph.png
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.esa.int/
   5. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/
   6. https://www.stsci.edu/
   7. https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2023/news-2023-128
   8. https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/videos/2023/128/01H4YM4EH20F6ZX6M7EWDE9RSN
   9. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/main/index.html
  10. https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/2023/128/01H44AZN1CQVQBKPPJPHR6M3Z8
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220319.html
  12. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1996A&A...314..477B/abstract
  13. https://universe.nasa.gov/resources/160/protoplanetary-disk/
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230712.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  23. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230713
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230714.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  31. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  34. http://www.mtu.edu/