                        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.

                                2020 August 4

                         NGC 2442: Galaxy in Volans
       Image Credit & Copyright: Processing: Robert Gendler & Roberto
                                  Colombari
         Data: Hubble Legacy Archive, European Southern Observatory

   Explanation: Distorted galaxy NGC 2442 can be found in the southern
   constellation of the flying fish, (Piscis) Volans. Located about 50
   million light-years away, the galaxy's two spiral arms extending from a
   pronounced central bar have a hook-like appearance in wide-field
   images. But this mosaicked close-up, constructed from Hubble Space
   Telescope and European Southern Observatory data, follows the galaxy's
   structure in amazing detail. Obscuring dust lanes, young blue star
   clusters and reddish star forming regions surround a core of yellowish
   light from an older population of stars. The sharp image data also
   reveal more distant background galaxies seen right through NGC 2442's
   star clusters and nebulae. The image spans about 75,000 light-years at
   the estimated distance of NGC 2442.

                       Tomorrow's picture: sun dagger
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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