Astronomy Picture of the Day -- IC 4628: The Prawn Nebula

NASA ^ | September 07, 2012 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: South of Antares, in the tail of the nebula-rich constellation Scorpius, lies emission nebula IC 4628. Nearby hot, massive stars, millions of years young, radiate the nebula with invisible ultraviolet light, stripping electrons from atoms. The electrons eventually recombine with the atoms to produce the visible nebular glow, dominated by the red emission of hydrogen. At an estimated distance of 6,000 light-years, the region shown is about 250 light-years across, spanning an area equivalent to four full moons on the sky. The nebula is also cataloged as Gum 56 for Australian astronomer Colin Stanley Gum, but seafood-loving astronomers might know this cosmic cloud as The Prawn Nebula.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit & Copyright: Marco Lorenzi (Glittering Lights)]

[SunkenCiv]

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[ComputerGuy]

I’ve gotta get to the shrink, pronto. I actually see a prawn in the pic.

[bigheadfred]

Retread?

Colors have been changed to protect the innocent.

[left that other site]

I looked for the prawn, but alas, all I could see were two pink elephants hold their trunks together and dancing the minuet (upper left).

[blueunicorn6]

I don’t know if it looks like a prawn, but it kind of looks like a shrimp to me.

[camle]

prawns, eh?

[TheOldLady]

And there it is! Constellation prawn in the lower center right. Looks like a prawn to me.