Is it a giant space comet? ☄️ Not quite! This is the stunning Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146), captured in a massive wide-field view from Death Valley, California.Even though it looks exactly like a cosmic comet slicing through the Swan constellation (Cygnus), it’s actually a massive stellar nursery located 2,500 light-years away. The glowing "head" spans about 10 light-years across, powered by a baby star at its center that is only a few hundred thousand years old. Meanwhile, its massive dark "tail" stretches an incredible 100 light-years through space, hiding brand-new stars forming inside its dusty filaments!
Image Credit & Copyright: Piotr Czerski / NASA APOD
#astronomy #nasa #space #nebula #cocoonnebula #ic5146 #universe #cosmos #science #astrophotography #apod #deathvalley
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