Picture of the Day · NASA
PK 164 +31.1: The Headphone Nebula
2026-05-27
What is a pair of headphones doing in the sky? Today’s image features the Headphone Nebula, also known as PK 164 +31.1 or Jones-Emberson 1. This planetary nebula, the remnant of a dying Sun-like star, faintly occupies an angular region of the Lynx constellation about 1/5th the diameter of the full moon. The red and blue-ish green colors trace hydrogen and oxygen atoms, respectively, that have been excited and ionized by the nebula's central white dwarf. The headphone shape, where two lobes of hydrogen puncture the inner region of oxygen, adds this object to a long list of oddly shaped nebulae. The morphology of such strange nebulae hint at the presence of a stellar or planetary companion, which can stir the material flowing out from the dying star. You can listen to Hubble and JWST sonifications of planetary nebulae through your very own headphones!
via NASA APOD
Key facts
- Discovered by
- Max Wolf
- Discovery date
- 17 October 1892
- Pronunciation
- / ɛ n ˈ d ɪ m i ə n /
- Named after
- Endymion
- Alternative designations
- 1892 K
- Minor planet category
- Main belt , König · Bower
- Observation arc
- 115.38 yr (42141 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.89687 AU (433.366 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.24079 AU (335.217 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.56883 AU (384.291 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.12 yr (1503.8 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 335.858 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 14 21.793 / day
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Endymion
- Followed by
- 343 Ostara
- Follows
- Q151526
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +64.266
- Orbital period
- +1502.836900896178
- Image
- Орбита астероида 342.png
Show 4 more facts
- P61
- Max Wolf
Article
342 Endymion is a large Main belt asteroid. It was discovered by Max Wolf on 17 October 1892 in Heidelberg. It was the first asteroid to receive the name of a male god.
References