NASA · Fri, 02 Oct 2026 04:05:00 GMT

APOD: 2026 October 2 – The Complete Sharpless Catalog: 313 Nebulas

1 min read · reported by NASA

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313 separate images of nebulae that resemble a variety of shapes and brightnesses. Some are dim and whispy, others are bright and create structure. Each image traces the complex behavior of interstellar gas.

Explanation: What does it take to image hundreds of nebulas? Today’s image contains the entire Sharpless Catalog of H II Regions , totaling 313 objects. Zoom in and explore! You may spot fan favorites like the Eagle (Sh2-49), Heart (Sh2-190), and Orion (Sh2-281) Nebulas. Despite its name, this catalog contains more than the glow of ionized hydrogen that makes up H II regions . There are planetary nebulas (the Medusa Nebula , Sh2-274) and supernova remnants (the Spaghetti Nebula , Sh2-240) as well. Astrophotographer Bing Xin traversed the dark skies of Eastern China and Inner Mongolia to catch them all . Narrowband filters that primarily capture light from ionized hydrogen and oxygen as well as red-green-blue filters were used. Each object took 2 to 6 hours to capture, with the entire catalog taking around 800 hours to complete! Which object is your favorite ? APOD's email for image submissions has changed. Please see: APOD Submissions Tomorrow's picture: just Curiosity

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