APOD: 2025 March 26 – Star Formation in the Pacman Nebula

Good morning, Rallypoint, and welcome to this Hump Day edition of Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for March 26, 2025.

This image of the Pacman Nebula (NGC 281) is a new APOD contribution from an amateur astrophotographer in Spain. It is 10,000 light years away and is found in the constellation Cassiopeia. Filters used to highlight emissions from ionized hydrogen and oxygen are used to produce the red, green, and blue palette used to render this photo.

While its name suggests it might be eating stars, the dusty tendrils you see throughout the celestial landscape of the Pacman Nebula mark where new stars are being formed. The image was processed from data gathered in 2024.