                        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.

                              2024 September 8
   The featured image shows a spiral galaxy and a smaller oval galaxy in a
        dark starfield. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                          M31: The Andromeda Galaxy
        Image Credit: Subaru (NAOJ), Hubble (NASA/ESA), Mayall (NSF);
               Processing & Copyright: R. Gendler & R. Croman

   Explanation: The most distant object easily visible to the unaided eye
   is M31, the great Andromeda Galaxy. Even at some two and a half million
   light-years distant, this immense spiral galaxy -- spanning over
   200,000 light years -- is visible, although as a faint, nebulous cloud
   in the constellation Andromeda. A bright yellow nucleus, dark winding
   dust lanes, and expansive spiral arms dotted with blue star clusters
   and red nebulae, are recorded in this stunning telescopic image which
   combines data from orbiting Hubble with ground-based images from Subaru
   and Mayall. In only about 5 billion years, the Andromeda galaxy may be
   even easier to see -- as it will likely span the entire night sky --
   just before it merges with, or passes right by, our Milky Way Galaxy.

         Teachers & Students: Ideas for using APOD in the classroom
                  Tomorrow's picture: dark moon, red planet
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

