                        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.

                               2022 January 14

                 NGC 1566: The Spanish Dancer Spiral Galaxy
            Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson and Mike Selby

   Explanation: An island universe of billions of stars, NGC 1566 lies
   about 60 million light-years away in the southern constellation Dorado.
   Popularly known as the Spanish Dancer galaxy, it's seen face-on from
   our Milky Way perspective. A gorgeous grand design spiral, this
   galaxy's two graceful spiral arms span over 100,000 light-years, traced
   by bright blue star clusters, pinkish starforming regions, and swirling
   cosmic dust lanes. NGC 1566's flaring center makes the spiral one of
   the closest and brightest Seyfert galaxies. It likely houses a central
   supermassive black hole wreaking havoc on surrounding stars, gas, and
   dust. In this sharp southern galaxy portrait, the spiky stars lie well
   within the Milky Way.

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