December 24, 2009
If the universe seems cold from a distance, birthdays are part of its rebuttal.
Gamma Cas and Friends
Birthday · December 24, 2009
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published December 24, 2009. Credit: Noel Carboni. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Gamma Cassiopeiae shines high in northern autumn evening skies. The brightest spiky star in this rich and colorful Milky Way starfield, bluish Gamma Cas marks the central peak in the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia. A hot, variable, and rapidly rotating star about 600 light-years distant, Gamma Cas also ionizes surrounding interstellar material, including the wispy IC 63 (left) and IC 59 emission and reflection nebulae. The two faint nebulae are physically close to Gamma Cas, separated from the star by only a few light-years. This well-composed, wide-field view of the region spans almost 2 degrees on the sky.
Image credit: Noel Carboni