Subj : Daily APOD Report To : All From : Alan Ianson Date : Tue May 21 2024 00:10:50 Astronomy Picture of the Day 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. 2024 May 21 The featured image shows a distant galaxy on the left next to a gas cloud on the right. An opening in the gas cloud is on the same side as the galaxy. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. CG4: The Globule and the Galaxy Image Credit: CTIO, NOIRLab, DOE, NSF, AURA; Processing: T. A. Rector (U. Alaska Anchorage/NSFCÇÖs NOIRLab), D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSFCÇÖs NOIRLab) Explanation: Can a gas cloud eat a galaxy? It's not even close. The "claw" of this odd looking "creature" in the featured photo is a gas cloud known as a cometary globule. This globule, however, has ruptured. Cometary globules are typically characterized by dusty heads and elongated tails. These features cause cometary globules to have visual similarities to comets, but in reality they are very much different. Globules are frequently the birthplaces of stars, and many show very young stars in their heads. The reason for the rupture in the head of this object is not yet known. The galaxy to the left of the globule is huge, very far in the distance, and only placed near CG4 by chance superposition. Tomorrow's picture: green sky arc __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7 * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757) .