APOD: 2026 September 21 – Cocoon Nebula Wide Field
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 September 21 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD 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. Cocoon Nebula Wide […]
On September 21, 2026, the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) featured an image of the Cocoon Nebula, a wide-field view captured in July from Death Valley, California, USA. The nebula, cataloged as IC 5146, is located approximately 2,500 light years away. In the crowded starfield of the constellation Cygnus, the Cocoon Nebula stands out as a compact star-forming region, punctuating a nebula that is bright in both emission and reflection on the lower right side.
To the left, a long trail of interstellar dust clouds stretches out, creating a shape reminiscent of a comet.
The central bright head of the nebula spans about 10 light years, while the dark dust tail extends nearly 100 light years. A bright star near the colorful nebula's center likely supplies the power needed to clear out a cavity. Despite appearing dark in visible light, the long dusty filaments of the tail conceal stars in the process of formation. The featured image was taken by Piotr Czerski.
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- APOD: 2026 September 21 – Cocoon Nebula Wide Field science.nasa.gov
