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 July 26 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Facing NGC 6946 Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Roberto Marinoni Explanation: From our vantage point in the [5]Milky Way Galaxy, we see [6]NGC 6946 face-on. The big, beautiful [7]spiral galaxy is located just 20 million light-years away, behind a veil of foreground dust and stars in the high and far-off constellation Cepheus. In this [8]sharp telescopic portrait, from the core outward the galaxy's colors change from the yellowish light of old stars in the center to young blue star clusters and reddish star forming regions along the loose, fragmented spiral arms. NGC 6946 is also bright [9]in infrared light and rich in gas and dust, exhibiting a high star birth and death rate. [10]In fact, since the early 20th century [11]ten confirmed supernovae, the [12]death explosions of massive stars, were [13]discovered in NGC 6946. Nearly 40,000 light-years across, NGC 6946 is also known as the [14]Fireworks Galaxy. Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend __________________________________________________________________ [15]< | [16]Archive | [17]Submissions | [18]Index | [19]Search | [20]Calendar | [21]RSS | [22]Education | [23]About APOD | [24]Discuss | [25]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [26]Robert Nemiroff ([27]MTU) & [28]Jerry Bonnell ([29]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [30]Specific rights apply. [31]NASA Web Privacy, [32]Accessibility Notices A service of: [33]ASD at [34]NASA / [35]GSFC, [36]NASA Science Activation & [37]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2407/NGC6946_verB.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 4. https://www.astrobin.com/users/Bluesky71/ 5. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/galaxies/ 6. http://www.messier.seds.org/xtra/ngc/n6946.html 7. http://www.messier.seds.org/spir.html 8. https://www.astrobin.com/2kxh8z/B/ 9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap990322.html 10. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019ApJ...875...85L/abstract 11. http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/sn2017/sn2017eaw.html 12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060728.html 13. http://www.astrosurf.com/snweb2/2008/08S_/08S_Home.htm 14. http://www.gemini.edu/node/116 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240725.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 19. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 24. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240726 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240727.html 26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 27. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 29. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 31. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 32. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 33. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 34. https://www.nasa.gov/ 35. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 36. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 37. http://www.mtu.edu/