February 2, 2026
Another trip around the Sun. A whole sky of possibilities.
Birthday · February 2, 2026
A little universe, just for you
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Selected image source ↗ APOD published February 2, 2026. Credit: Robert G. Lyons (Robservatory). A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Read the original APOD for the astronomer’s explanation and full image credits. Its text is preserved in the archive as published.
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What part of Orion is this? Just north of the famous Orion Nebula is a picturesque star forming region in Orion's Sword that contains a lot of intricate dust -- some of which appears blue because it reflects the light of bright embedded stars. The region's popular name is the Running Man Nebula because, looked at from the right, part of the brown dust appears to be running legs. Cataloged as Sharpless 279, the reflection nebula is not only part of the constellation of Orion, but part of the greater Orion molecular cloud complex. Light from the Running Man's bright stars, including 42 Orionis, the bright star closest to the featured image center, is slowly destroying and reshaping the surrounding dust, which will likely be completely gone in about 10 million years. The nebula spans about 15 light years and lies about 1,500 light years away. Jigsaw Nebula: Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
Image credit: Robert G. Lyons (Robservatory)
Explore February 2 in other years · 31 APOD entries, 1996–2026
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