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<!doctype html> <html> <head> <title> APOD: 2025 March 18 – LDN 1235: The Shark Nebula </title>  <meta name="orgcode" content="661"> <meta name="rno" content="amber.n.straughn"> <meta name="content-owner" content="Jerry.T.Bonnell.1"> <meta name="webmaster" content="Stephen.F.Fantasia.1"> <meta name="description" content="A different astronomy and space science related image is featured each day, along with a brief explanation.">  <meta name=viewport content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <meta name="keywords" content="LDN 1235, Shark Nebula, molecular cloud">  <script id="_fed_an_ua_tag" src="//dap.digitalgov.gov/Universal-Federated-Analytics-Min.js?agency=NASA"> </script> </head> <body BGCOLOR="#F4F4FF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#7F0F9F" alink="#FF0000"> <center> <h1> Astronomy Picture of the Day </h1> <a href="archivepix.html">Discover the cosmos!</a> Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2025 March 18 <a href="image/2503/Shark_Martin_5441.jpg"> <IMG SRC="image/2503/Shark_Martin_960.jpg" alt="A dark brown cloud that appears similar to a shark is seen against a background filled with stars and less prominent blue-shaded nebulas. Please see the explanation for more detailed information." style="max-width:100%"></a> </center> <center> LDN 1235: The Shark Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: <a href="https://www.astrobin.com/users/AccidentalAstronomers/" >Timothy Martin</a> </center> Explanation: There is no sea on Earth large enough to contain the Shark nebula. This <a href="https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/endoceansharks/">predator</a> apparition poses us no danger as it is composed only of interstellar gas and <a href="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html">dust</a>. Dark dust like that <a href="https://www.astrobin.com/6ekkcw/">featured here</a> is somewhat like cigarette smoke and <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_dust#Dust_grain_formation">created</a> in the cool atmospheres of giant <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stars/">stars</a>. After expelling gas and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbdwTwB8jtc">gravitationally recondensing</a>, massive stars may <a href="ap221020.html">carve intricate structures</a> into their birth cloud using their high energy light and fast <a href="ap000318.html">stellar wind</a>s as sculpting tools. The heat they generate evaporates the murky <a href="ap230129.html">molecular cloud</a> as well as causing ambient hydrogen gas to disperse and glow red. During disintegration, we <a href="ap190818.html">humans</a> can enjoy <a href="ap120124.html">imagining</a> these <a href="ap141008.html">great clouds</a> as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia">common icons</a>, like we do for <a href="https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/">water clouds</a> on Earth. Including <a href="https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1509/shark_toet_1000_anno.jpg" >smaller dust nebulae</a> such as Van den Bergh 149 & 150, the <a href="https://www.galactic-hunter.com/post/the-shark-nebula" >Shark nebula</a>, sometimes cataloged as LDN 1235, spans about 15 light years and lies about 650 <a href="https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/">light years</a> away toward the constellation of the King of Aethiopia (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cepheus_(constellation)">Cepheus</a>). <center> Explore Your Universe: <a href="https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/random_apod.html">Random APOD Generator</a> Tomorrow's picture: <a href="ap250319.html">open space</a> <hr> <a href="ap250317.html"><</a> | <a href="archivepix.html">Archive</a> | <a href="lib/apsubmit2015.html">Submissions</a> | <a href="lib/aptree.html">Index</a> | <a href="https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search">Search</a> | <a href="calendar/allyears.html">Calendar</a> | <a href="https://apod.com/feed.rss">RSS</a> | <a href="lib/edlinks.html">Education</a> | <a href="lib/about_apod.html">About APOD</a> | <a href= "https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250318">Discuss</a> | <a href="ap250319.html">></a> <hr> Authors & editors: <a href="http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html">Robert Nemiroff</a> (<a href="http://www.phy.mtu.edu/">MTU</a>) & <a href="https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html" >Jerry Bonnell</a> (<a href="http://www.astro.umd.edu/">UMCP</a>) NASA Official: Amber Straughn <a href="lib/about_apod.html#srapply">Specific rights apply</a>. <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html">NASA Web Privacy</a>, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/">Accessibility</a>, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/">Notices</a>; A service of: <a href="https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/">ASD</a> at <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> / <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/">GSFC</a>, <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/learners">NASA Science Activation</a> & <a href="http://www.mtu.edu/">Michigan Tech. 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