March 20, 1996
On the day you were born, the universe did what it has always done best: transformed chaos into beauty.
NGC 1977: Blue Reflection Nebula in Orion
Birthday · March 20, 1996
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APOD published March 20, 1996. Credit: Anglo-Australian Telescope Board. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
The Orion Nebula is visible to the unaided eye as a fuzzy patch near the famous belt of three stars in the constellation Orion. The above picture captures a part of the Orion Nebula that primarily reflects light from bright Orion stars. This reflection nebula appears blue because the blue light from the neighboring stars scatters more efficiently from nebula gas than does red light. The dark lanes are composed of mostly interstellar dust - fine needle-shaped carbon grains. Information: The Scale of the Universe Debate in April 1996
Image credit: Anglo-Australian Telescope Board