                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2025 April 26

                        Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 5335
                       Image Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI

   Explanation: This stunning portrait of NGC 5335 was captured by the
   Hubble Space Telescope. Some 170,000 light-years across and over 200
   million light-years away toward the constellation Virgo, the
   magnificent spiral galaxy is seen face-on in Hubble's view. Within the
   galactic disk, loose streamers of star forming regions lie along the
   galaxy's flocculent spiral arms. But the most striking feature of NGC
   5335 is its prominent central bar. Seen in about 30 percent of
   galaxies, including our Milky Way, bar structures are understood to
   channel material inward toward the galactic center, fueling star
   formation. Of course, distant background galaxies are easy to spot,
   scattered around the sharp Hubble image. Launched in 1990, Hubble is
   now celebrating its 35th year exploring the cosmos from orbit around
   planet Earth.

                  Tomorrow's picture: spirographs in space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

