APOD: 2021 September 26 - The Red Square Nebula

Good morning, Rallypoint. Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) is titled "The Red Square Nebula." Looks like it is possible to square a round hole. Or in this case, the usually round nebula. Located 5,000 light years away in the constellation Serpens, the first infrared images of the Red Square Nebula were published in April 2007 (and were APOD features in both 2007 and 2011). The star (or stars) at the center of the Red Square Nebula are known as MWC 922.

Researchers think we are looking at two cones originating with the central star/s and radiating outward. Astronomer Peter Tuthill explains it best:

"The startling degree of symmetry and level of intricate linear form make the Red Square nebula around MWC 922 the most symmetrical object of comparable complexity ever imaged. The overall architecture displays a twin opposed conical cavities (known as a bipolar nebula), along the axis of which can be seen a remarkable sequence of sharply defined linear rungs or bars. This series of rungs and conical surfaces lie nested, one within the next, down to the heart of the system, where the hyperbolic bicone surfaces are crossed by a dark lane running across the principle axis."

Pretty cool.