Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]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. 2025 February 13 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Reflections on VdB 31 Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Roberto Marinoni Explanation: Riding high in the constellation of Auriga, beautiful, blue VdB 31 is the 31st [5]object in Sidney van den Bergh's 1966 [6]catalog of reflection nebulae. It shares this well-composed celestial still life with dark, obscuring clouds B26, B27, and B28, recorded in Edward E. Barnard's 1919 [7]catalog of dark markings in the sky. All are these nebulae are interstellar dust clouds. Barnard's [8]dark nebulae block the light from background stars. For VdB 31 the dust preferentially reflects bluish starlight from embedded, hot, variable star AB Aurigae. Exploring the [9]environs of AB Aurigae with the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed the several million year young star is itself surrounded by a flattened [10]dusty disk with [11]evidence for the ongoing formation of a planetary system. AB Aurigae is about 470 light-years away. At that distance [12]this cosmic canvas would span about eight light-years. Tomorrow's picture: when roses are red __________________________________________________________________ [13]< | [14]Archive | [15]Submissions | [16]Index | [17]Search | [18]Calendar | [19]RSS | [20]Education | [21]About APOD | [22]Discuss | [23]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [24]Robert Nemiroff ([25]MTU) & [26]Jerry Bonnell ([27]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [28]Specific rights apply. [29]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC, [33]NASA Science Activation & [34]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2502/Vdb31_Astrobin2048.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 4. https://www.astrobin.com/users/Bluesky71/ 5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121026.html 6. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1966AJ.....71..990V 7. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?1919ApJ....49....1B 8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap161225.html 9. https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2022/news-2022-016 10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap141110.html 11. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024arXiv241203923S/abstract 12. https://www.astrobin.com/ezjp1j/ 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250212.html 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 17. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 22. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250213 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250214.html 24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 27. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 29. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 31. https://www.nasa.gov/ 32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 33. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 34. http://www.mtu.edu/