                   APOD: 2018 February 24 - Facing NGC 6946

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                               2018 February 24
                                      [2]
                               Facing NGC 6946
  Composite Image Data - Subaru Telescope [3] (NAOJ [4] ) and Robert Gendler;
                        Processing - Robert Gendler [5]

Explanation: From our vantage point in the Milky Way Galaxy [6] , we see NGC
6946 face-on [7] . The big, beautiful spiral galaxy [8] is located just 10
million light-years away, behind a veil of foreground dust and stars in the
high and far-off constellation of Cepheus. From the core outward, the galaxy's
colors change from the yellowish light of old stars in the center to young
blue star clusters and reddish star forming regions along the loose,
fragmented spiral arms. NGC 6946 is also bright in infrared light [9]  and
rich in gas and dust, exhibiting a high star birth and death rate. In fact,
since the early 20th century at least nine supernovae, the death explosions
[10] of massive stars, were discovered [11]  in NGC 6946. Nearly 40,000
light-years across, NGC 6946 is also known as the Fireworks Galaxy [12] . This
remarkable portrait of NGC 6946 [13] is a composite that includes image data
from [14]  the 8.2 meter Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea [15] .

                      Tomorrow's picture: star fire [16]

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [28] (MTU [29] ) & Jerry Bonnell [30]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1802/NGC6946-Subaru-GendlerL.jpg
  [3] http://subarutelescope.org/
  [4] http://www.nao.ac.jp/
  [5] http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/
  [6] ap080606.html
  [7] http://www.messier.seds.org/xtra/ngc/n6946.html
  [8] http://www.messier.seds.org/spir.html
  [9] ap990322.html
  [10] ap060728.html
  [11] http://www.astrosurf.com/snweb2/ 2008/08S_/08S_Home.htm
  [12] http://www.gemini.edu/node/116
  [13] http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/ NGC6946-Subaru-Gendler.html
  [14] http://www.naoj.org/Pressrelease/2009/09/08/index.html
  [15] ap080301.html
  [16] ap180225.html
  [17] ap180223.html
  [18] archivepix.html
  [19] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [20] lib/aptree.html
  [21] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [22] calendar/allyears.html
  [23] /apod.rss
  [24] lib/edlinks.html
  [25] lib/about_apod.html
  [26] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=180124
  [27] ap180225.html
  [28] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [29] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [30] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [31] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [32] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [33] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [34] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [35] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [36] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [37] http://www.mtu.edu/
