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Astronomy Picture of the Day - NGC 6188: Dragons of Ara
NASA ^ | 7 Jul, 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: Rod Prazeres

Posted on 07/07/2026 12:26:06 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Image Credit & Copyright: Rod Prazeres Explanation: Where can you find dragons fighting in the night sky? In the southern constellation of the Altar: Ara. The dragons are, of course, actually made of suggestively shaped gas and dust. The celestial home of the mythological battling beasts is cataloged as NGC 6188 and located about 4,000 light years away near the edge of a large molecular cloud. Massive, young stars of the embedded Ara OB1 association were formed there only a few million years ago, sculpting the dark shapes and powering the nebular glow with stellar winds and intense ultraviolet radiation. Joining NGC 6188 on this cosmic canvas, visible toward the lower right, is unusual emission nebula NGC 6164, also created by one of the region's massive stars. This impressively wide field picture, captured from Queensland, Australia, spans over 2 degrees (four full Moons).


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 07/07/2026 12:26:06 PM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 07/07/2026 12:26:28 PM PDT 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 07/07/2026 12:27:06 PM PDT 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 07/07/2026 12:36:13 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: MtnClimber

Color me astonished.


5 posted on 07/07/2026 12:40:56 PM PDT by ComputerGuy
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To: ComputerGuy

Looks like poor Impressionist Art to me. Not a Renior


6 posted on 07/07/2026 12:53:01 PM PDT by Colt1851Navy (@!@)
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To: Colt1851Navy

You are right on the Monet..........


7 posted on 07/07/2026 1:09:09 PM PDT by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
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To: MtnClimber

The “House” of the dragons in the sky…..


8 posted on 07/07/2026 2:39:49 PM PDT by telescope115 (Ad Astra, Ad Deum…)
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To: ComputerGuy; Colt1851Navy; Red Badger; telescope115
Astonished? Poor Impressionist Art? Monet? Dragons?

C'mon guys, you can do better than that... it's just a slate of blue marble...


9 posted on 07/07/2026 4:33:24 PM PDT by Deaf and Discerning
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To: MtnClimber
Thanks for posting! Pareidolia!

Yes, I see some dusty smoke dragons fighting, blown around by the stellar winds, and backlit by by some reflected gallary of stars!

10 posted on 07/07/2026 8:04:56 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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