Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2025 June 25
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                 Rubin's First Look: A Sagittarius Skyscape
      Image Credit & [3]License: [4]NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory

   Explanation: [5]This interstellar skyscape spans over 4 degrees across
   crowded starfields toward the constellation Sagittarius and the central
   Milky Way. A First Look image captured at the new NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin
   Observatory, the bright nebulae and star clusters featured include
   famous stops on [6]telescopic tours of the cosmos: [7]Messier 8 and
   [8]Messier 20. An expansive star-forming region over a hundred
   light-years across, Messier 8 is also known as the Lagoon Nebula. About
   4,000 light-years away the Lagoon Nebula harbors a remarkable cluster
   of young, massive stars. Their intense radiation and stellar winds
   energize and agitate this cosmic lagoon's [9]turbulent depths. Messier
   20's popular moniker is the Trifid. Divided into three parts by dark
   interstellar dust lanes, the [10]Trifid Nebula's glowing hydrogen gas
   creates its dominant red color. But contrasting blue hues in the
   colorful Trifid are due to dust [11]reflected starlight. [12]The Rubin
   Observatory visited the Trifid-Lagoon field to acquire all the image
   data during parts of four nights (May 1-4). At full resolution, Rubin's
   magnificent [13]Sagittarius skyscape is 84,000 pixels wide and 51,500
   pixels tall.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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    Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([28]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [29]Specific rights apply.
            [30]NASA Web Privacy, [31]Accessibility, [32]Notices;
                A service of: [33]ASD at [34]NASA / [35]GSFC,
                         [36]NASA Science Activation
                           & [37]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2506/SagittariusTrip_Rubin.png
   3. https://rubinobservatory.org/gallery/media-policy
   4. https://rubinobservatory.org/
   5. https://rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-first-look/trifid-lagoon
   6. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/
   7. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/messier-8/
   8. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/messier-20/
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230928.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240704.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap011228.html
  12. https://rubinobservatory.org/
  13. https://rubinobservatory.org/gallery/collections/first-look-gallery/n4kvj0cemd5pbdqgtjdgp2jg2t
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250624.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  20. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  23. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250625
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250626.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  33. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/
  35. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  36. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  37. http://www.mtu.edu/