NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 2, 2026 presented the complete Sharpless Catalog in a single image, comprising 313 objects. Although the catalog is named for H II regions, the image also includes planetary nebulas such as the Medusa Nebula (Sh2-274) and supernova remnants such as the Spaghetti Nebula (Sh2-240), alongside familiar targets like the Eagle (Sh2-49), Heart (Sh2-190) and Orion (Sh2-281) Nebulas.

Astrophotographer Bing Xin shot the collection from dark skies in Eastern China and Inner Mongolia, according to the accompanying explanation. He used narrowband filters aimed mainly at ionized hydrogen and oxygen light, plus red-green-blue filters. Each object required 2 to 6 hours of capture, and the full catalog took around 800 hours to complete.

The image is credited to Bing Xin. The APOD page was authored and edited by Keighley Rockcliffe, Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell and Cecilia Chirenti.