1403/11/24 - 13 شعبان 1446 - 2025/02/12
العربیة فارسی

Astronomical Research Center (A.R.C.)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

The Spider and the Fly
Image Credit & Copyright: Dave Boddington

Explanation: Will the spider ever catch the fly? Not if both are large emission nebulas toward the constellation of the Charioteer (Auriga). The spider-shaped gas cloud in the image center is actually an emission nebula labelled IC 417, while the smaller fly-shaped cloud on the left is dubbed NGC 1931 and is both an emission nebula and a reflection nebula. About 10,000 light-years distant, both nebulas harbor young star clusters. For scale, the more compact NGC 1931 (Fly) is about 10 light-years across. The featured deep image, captured over 20 hours during late January in Berkshire UK, also shows more diffuse and red-glowing interstellar gas and dust.
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