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.

                               2023 August 13
     [2]A red-tinged ring of dust is seen nearly on edge. In the ring's
    center and extending around the frame, blue gas and stars are shown.
          Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                       The Sombrero Galaxy in Infrared
      Credit: [3]R. Kennicutt ([4]Steward Obs.) et al., [5]SSC, [6]JPL,
                             [7]Caltech, [8]NASA

   Explanation: This floating ring is the size of a galaxy. In fact, it is
   a galaxy -- or at least part of one: the photogenic [9]Sombrero Galaxy,
   one of the largest galaxies in the nearby [10]Virgo Cluster of
   Galaxies. The dark band of [11]dust that obscures the mid-section of
   the [12]Sombrero Galaxy in optical light actually glows brightly in
   infrared light. The [13]featured image, digitally sharpened, shows the
   [14]infrared glow, recently recorded by the orbiting [15]Spitzer Space
   Telescope, superposed in false-color on an [16]existing image taken by
   NASA's [17]Hubble Space Telescope in [18]visible light. The
   [19]Sombrero Galaxy, also known as [20]M104, spans about 50,000
   [21]light years across and lies 28 million light years away. [22]M104
   can be seen with a small telescope in the direction of the
   constellation [23]Virgo.

                      Tomorrow's picture: ring strings
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    Authors & editors: [35]Robert Nemiroff ([36]MTU) & [37]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([38]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [39]Specific rights apply.
              [40]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [41]ASD at [42]NASA / [43]GSFC,
                         [44]NASA Science Activation
                           & [45]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2308/sombrero_spitzer_3000.jpg
   3. https://www.as.arizona.edu/people/faculty/robert-kennicutt
   4. http://www.as.arizona.edu/
   5. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/
   6. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
   7. http://www.caltech.edu/
   8. https://www.nasa.gov/
   9. http://messier.seds.org/m/m104.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050213.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombrero_galaxy
  13. https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1419-ssc2005-11a-Spitzer-Spies-Spectacular-Sombrero
  14. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/07_infraredwaves
  15. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/spitzer/main/index.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210514.html
  17. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/about
  18. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/09_visiblelight
  19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombrero
  20. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBB2xQe8nMw
  21. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/en/
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070505.html
  23. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgo_(constellation)
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230812.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  33. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230813
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230814.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  36. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  37. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  38. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  41. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/
  43. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  44. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  45. http://www.mtu.edu/