                        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.

                               2021 August 13

                              A Perfect Spiral
   Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing: Mehmet Hakan Ozsarac

   Explanation: If not perfect then this spiral galaxy is at least one of
   the most photogenic. An island universe of about 100 billion stars, 32
   million light-years away toward the constellation Pisces, M74 presents
   a gorgeous face-on view. Classified as an Sc galaxy, the grand design
   of M74's graceful spiral arms are traced by bright blue star clusters
   and dark cosmic dust lanes. This sharp composite was constructed from
   image data recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for
   Surveys. Spanning about 30,000 light-years across the face of M74, it
   includes exposures recording emission from hydrogen atoms, highlighting
   the reddish glow of the galaxy's large star-forming regions. With a
   lower surface brightness than most galaxies in the Messier catalog, M74
   is sometimes known as the Phantom Galaxy.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
                NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
                             & Michigan Tech. U.


