                        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.

                                 2023 June 7
   A spiral galaxy is seen in the image center with a distinct purple hue.
      The galaxy features a bright inner ring, but even outside of that
      appears another large ring. The outer rings appears light brown.
      Foreground stars are visible throughout the image. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                          M94: A Double Ring Galaxy
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Brian Brennan

   Explanation: Most galaxies don't have any rings of stars and gas -- why
   does M94 have two? First, spiral galaxy M94 has an inner ring of newly
   formed stars surrounding its nucleus, giving it not only an unusual
   appearance but also a strong interior glow. A leading origin hypothesis
   holds that an elongated knot of stars known as a bar rotates in M94 and
   has generated a burst of star formation in this inner ring.
   Observations have also revealed another ring, an outer ring, one that
   is more faint, different in color, not closed, and relatively complex.
   What caused this outer ring is currently unknown. M94, pictured here,
   spans about 45,000 light years in total, lies about 15 million light
   years away, and can be seen with a small telescope toward the
   constellation of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici).

            More Availability: APOD now accessible via Flipboard.
                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
     __________________________________________________________________

       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,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

