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 October 7
   [2]The featured image shows M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, in both infrared
      light, colored orange, and visible light, colored white and blue.
          Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                   The Once and Future Stars of Andromeda
        Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]NSF, [5]NOAJ, [6]Hubble, [7]Subaru,
     [8]Mayall, [9]DSS, [10]Spitzer; Processing & Copyright: [11]Robert
                        Gendler & [12]Russell Croman

   Explanation: This picture of Andromeda shows not only where stars are
   now, but where stars will be. The big, beautiful [13]Andromeda Galaxy,
   M31, is a [14]spiral galaxy a mere 2.5 million [15]light-years away.
   Image data from space-based and ground-based observatories have been
   combined here to produce [16]this intriguing composite view of
   Andromeda at wavelengths both inside and outside normally visible
   light. The [17]visible light shows where M31's stars are now,
   highlighted in white and blue hues and imaged by the [18]Hubble,
   [19]Subaru, and [20]Mayall telescopes. The [21]infrared light shows
   where M31's future stars will soon form, highlighted in orange hues and
   imaged by NASA's [22]Spitzer Space Telescope. The infrared light tracks
   enormous [23]lanes of dust, warmed by stars, sweeping along Andromeda's
   spiral arms. This [24]dust is a tracer of the galaxy's vast
   interstellar gas, raw material for future [25]star formation. Of
   course, the new stars will likely form over the next hundred million
   years or so. That's well before Andromeda [26]merges with our [27]Milky
   Way Galaxy in about 5 billion years.

                   Tomorrow's picture: in front of the Sun
     __________________________________________________________________

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     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [39]Robert Nemiroff ([40]MTU) & [41]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([42]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [43]Specific rights apply.
              [44]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [45]ASD at [46]NASA / [47]GSFC,
                         [48]NASA Science Activation
                           & [49]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2310/M31_HubbleSpitzerGendler_2000.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.nsf.gov/
   5. https://www.nao.ac.jp/en/
   6. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html
   7. https://subarutelescope.org/en/
   8. https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/kitt-peak-national-observatory/nicholas-mayall-4m-telescope/
   9. https://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/data/DSS/
  10. https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/
  11. http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/Biography2.html
  12. https://www.rc-astro.com/about.html
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Galaxy
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_galaxy
  15. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/en/
  16. http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/M31-Spitzer-New-Mouseover-M.html
  17. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/09_visiblelight
  18. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/about
  19. https://subarutelescope.org/en/about/
  20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_U._Mayall_Telescope
  21. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/07_infraredwaves
  22. https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/mission/mission-overview
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211117.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html
  25. https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120604.html
  27. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/285/the-milky-way-galaxy/
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231006.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  32. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  37. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=231007
  38. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231008.html
  39. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  40. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  41. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  42. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  43. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  45. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  46. https://www.nasa.gov/
  47. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  48. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  49. http://www.mtu.edu/