NASA has joined the celebrations for the Fourth of July. The US space agency shared the pictures of four beautiful nebulae — Cat’s Eye Nebula, NGC 2392, Helix Nebula, and the Ring Nebula.
NASA has joined the celebrations for the Fourth of July, the United States’ Independence Day, with some “celestial” fireworks.
The US space agency shared the pictures of four beautiful nebulae — Cat’s Eye Nebula, NGC 2392, Helix Nebula, and the Ring Nebula.
The Fourth of July celebrates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States. Following the Declaration, 13 North American colonies were separated from Great Britain.
The Fourth of July is celebrated with fireworks because they signify national pride and patriotism. Fireworks have been part of Independence Day in the United States since the first celebration of the Fourth of July, in 1777.
The Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392), also known as the Clown-faced Nebula, Lion Nebula, or Caldwell 39, is a bipolar double-shell planetary nebula (PN). It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel in 1787. The formation resembles a person’s head surrounded by a parka hood.
The image’s central region, which contains the star cluster, blends visible-light data taken by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys with near-infrared exposures taken by the Wide Field Camera 3. The surrounding region is composed of visible-light observations taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys. Shades of red represent hydrogen and bluish-green hues are predominantly oxygen.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy in Washington.
