Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                              2022 February 26
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                        Nearby Spiral Galaxy NGC 4945
        Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Dietmar Hager, [5]Eric Benson

   Explanation: Large spiral galaxy NGC 4945 is seen nearly [6]edge-on in
   this cosmic galaxy close-up. It's almost the size of our [7]Milky Way
   Galaxy. NGC 4945's own dusty disk, young blue star clusters, and pink
   star forming regions stand out in the colorful telescopic frame. About
   13 million light-years distant toward the [8]expansive southern
   constellation [9]Centaurus, NGC 4945 is only about six times farther
   away than Andromeda, the nearest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way.
   Though this galaxy's central region is largely hidden from view for
   optical telescopes, X-ray and infrared observations indicate
   [10]significant high energy emission and star formation in the core
   [11]of NGC 4945. Its obscured but active nucleus qualifies the gorgeous
   island universe as [12]a Seyfert galaxy and home to a central
   supermassive black hole.

           Tomorrow's picture: really famous picture -- remastered
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    Authors & editors: [24]Robert Nemiroff ([25]MTU) & [26]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([27]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [28]Specific rights apply.
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                A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC
                           & [33]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2202/NGC4945-Dietmar-Eric-crop.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.facebook.com/StargazerObservatory/
   5. http://www.faintgalaxy.com/
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010510.html
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140724.html
   8. http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/Centaurus.html
   9. http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/cen/index.html
  10. http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0002244
  11. http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso0931/
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010701.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220225.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  17. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  22. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=220226
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220227.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  27. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  33. http://www.mtu.edu/