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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Thor's Helmet versus the Seagull
NASA ^ | 18 Feb, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Nicolas Martino, Adrien Soto, Louis Leroux & Yann Sainty

Posted on 02/18/2025 1:15:11 PM PST by MtnClimber

Explanation: Seen as a seagull and a duck, these nebulae are not the only cosmic clouds to evoke images of flight. But both are winging their way across this broad celestial landscape, spanning almost 7 degrees across planet Earth's night sky toward the constellation of the Big Dog (Canis Major). The expansive Seagull (top center) is itself composed of two major cataloged emission nebulas. Brighter NGC 2327 forms the head with the more diffuse IC 2177 as the wings and body. Impressively, the Seagull's wingspan would correspond to about 250 light-years at the nebula's estimated distance of 3,800 light-years. At the lower right, the Duck appears much more compact and would span only about 50 light-years given its 15,000 light-year distance estimate. Blown by energetic winds from an extremely massive, hot star near its center, the Duck nebula is cataloged as NGC 2359. Of course, the Duck's thick body and winged appendages also lend it the slightly more dramatic popular moniker, Thor's Helmet.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa
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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 02/18/2025 1:15:11 PM PST by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 02/18/2025 1:15:36 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 02/18/2025 1:16:29 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Wow.


4 posted on 02/18/2025 1:31:39 PM PST by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: MtnClimber
"Thor's Helmet versus the Seagull"

Sounds like a Gary Larson cartoon.

5 posted on 02/18/2025 2:36:07 PM PST by rfp1234 (E Porcibus Unum)
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