                        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 February 26

                        Nearby Spiral Galaxy NGC 4945
            Image Credit & Copyright: Dietmar Hager, Eric Benson

   Explanation: Large spiral galaxy NGC 4945 is seen nearly edge-on in
   this cosmic galaxy close-up. It's almost the size of our Milky Way
   Galaxy. NGC 4945's own dusty disk, young blue star clusters, and pink
   star forming regions stand out in the colorful telescopic frame. About
   13 million light-years distant toward the expansive southern
   constellation Centaurus, NGC 4945 is only about six times farther away
   than Andromeda, the nearest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way.
   Though this galaxy's central region is largely hidden from view for
   optical telescopes, X-ray and infrared observations indicate
   significant high energy emission and star formation in the core of NGC
   4945. Its obscured but active nucleus qualifies the gorgeous island
   universe as a Seyfert galaxy and home to a central supermassive black
   hole.

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