Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Fri Nov 29 2024 00:19:06

                        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 November 29

                                  Messier 4
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Steve Crouch

   Explanation: Messier 4 can be found west of bright red-giant star
   Antares, alpha star of the constellation Scorpius. M4 itself is only
   just visible from dark sky locations, even though the globular cluster
   of 100,000 stars or so is a mere 5,500 light-years away. Still, its
   proximity to prying telescopic eyes makes it a prime target for
   astronomical explorations. Recent studies have included Hubble
   observations of M4's pulsating cepheid variable stars, cooling white
   dwarf stars, and ancient, pulsar orbiting exoplanet PSR B1620-26 b.
   This sharp image was captured with a small telescope on planet Earth.
   At M4's estimated distance it spans about 50 light-years across the
   core of the globular star cluster.

                        Tomorrow's picture: the climb
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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