May 26, 2016
On the day you were born, the universe did what it has always done best: transformed chaos into beauty.
IC 5067 in the Pelican Nebula
Birthday · May 26, 2016
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APOD published May 26, 2016. Credit: Subaru Telescope (NAOJ). A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
The prominent ridge of emission featured in this sharp, colorful skyscape is cataloged as IC 5067. Part of a larger emission nebula with a distinctive shape, popularly called The Pelican Nebula, the ridge spans about 10 light-years following the curve of the cosmic pelican's head and neck. This false-color view also translates the pervasive glow of narrow emission lines from atoms in the nebula to a color palette made popular in Hubble Space Telescope images of star forming regions. Fantastic, dark shapes inhabiting the 1/2 degree wide field are clouds of cool gas and dust sculpted by the winds and radiation from hot, massive stars. Close-ups of some of the sculpted clouds show clear signs of newly forming stars. The Pelican Nebula, itself cataloged as IC 5070, is about 2,000 light-years away. To find it, look northeast of bright star Deneb in the high flying constellation Cygnus.
Image credit: Subaru Telescope (NAOJ)