﻿ Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]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. 2024 March 6 [2]A starfield is shown with an unusual horizontal line segment running throug the middle. The segment is an edge-on galaxy and many brown dust filaments are visible. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. M102: Edge-on Disk Galaxy Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]ESA, [5]Hubble; Processing: [6]Ehsan Ebahimian Explanation: What kind of celestial object is this? A relatively normal galaxy -- but seen from its edge. Many disk galaxies are actually just as thin as NGC 5866, the Spindle galaxy, [7]pictured here, but are not [8]seen edge-on from our vantage point. A perhaps more familiar galaxy seen edge-on is our own [9]Milky Way galaxy. Also cataloged as M102, the [10]Spindle galaxy has numerous and complex dust lanes appearing dark and red, while many of the bright stars in the disk give it a more blue underlying hue. The blue disk of young [11]stars can be seen in this [12]Hubble image extending past the [13]dust in the extremely [14]thin galactic plane. There is evidence that the [15]Spindle galaxy has cannibalized smaller galaxies over the past billion years or so, including [16]multiple streams of faint stars, dark dust that extends away from the main galactic plane, and a [17]surrounding group of galaxies (not shown). In general, many [18]disk galaxies become thin because the gas that [19]forms them collides with itself as it rotates about the gravitational center. The [20]Spindle galaxy lies about 50 million [21]light years distant toward the constellation of the Dragon ([22]Draco). Tomorrow's picture: not a distant galactic nebula __________________________________________________________________ [23]< | [24]Archive | [25]Submissions | [26]Index | [27]Search | [28]Calendar | [29]RSS | [30]Education | [31]About APOD | [32]Discuss | [33]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [34]Robert Nemiroff ([35]MTU) & [36]Jerry Bonnell ([37]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn; [38]Specific rights apply. [39]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [40]ASD at [41]NASA / [42]GSFC, [43]NASA Science Activation & [44]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2403/M102_HubbleEbrahimian_3615.jpg 3. https://www.nasa.gov/ 4. https://esa.int/ 5. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/ 6. https://www.instagram.com/anugrafy/ 7. https://www.astrobin.com/xhlow5/ 8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010510.html 9. https://science.nasa.gov/resource/the-milky-way-galaxy/ 10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_5866 11. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stars/ 12. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/ 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap990919.html 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180725.html 15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spindle_(textiles)#/media/File:Drop_spindles.jpg 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180206.html 17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_5866_Group 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230531.html 19. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_formation_and_evolution 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160309.html 21. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/ 22. http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/draco.htm 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240305.html 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 29. https://apod.com/feed.rss 30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 32. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240306 33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240307.html 34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 36. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 37. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 38. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 39. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 40. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 41. https://www.nasa.gov/ 42. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 43. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 44. http://www.mtu.edu/