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.

                                2026 March 30
     [2]A starfield glows faintly with red glowing gas and dust. In the
    center there is some sort of unusual galaxy with a red jet emanating
   toward the upper right and a dark dust lane through its center. Please
             see the explanation for more detailed information.

                   Peculiar Elliptical Galaxy Centaurus A
   Image Credit & Copyright: [3]SADR Observatory Team: [4]J-C Dalouzy, P.
   Bazart, M. Dherbécourt, C. Humbert, G. Leroy, J-P Quéau, H. Talbot, &
                                  E. Valin

   Explanation: What's happened to the center of this galaxy? Dramatic
   [5]dust lanes run across the center of unusual elliptical galaxy
   [6]Centaurus A. These dust lanes are so thick they almost completely
   obscure the [7]galaxy's center in [8]visible light. This is
   particularly unusual as [9]Cen A's older stars and oval shape are
   characteristic of a giant [10]elliptical galaxy, a galaxy type
   typically low in dark dust. Pictured in [11]this deep image is a
   complex network of foreground gas and dust, as well as [12]shells of
   dim stars and a [13]jet projecting to the upper right. Also known as
   NGC 5128, [14]Cen A is surely the result of a [15]galactic collision
   where many young dust-creating stars were formed. However, details of
   the creation of Cen A's unusually [16]active center and iconic central
   dust lanes are still [17]being researched. Cen A lies only 13 million
   [18]light years away, making it the [19]closest active galaxy.

               Jigsaw Galaxy: [20]Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
                    Tomorrow's picture: titanian trenches
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [32]Robert Nemiroff ([33]MTU) & [34]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([35]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [36]Specific rights apply.
            [37]NASA Web Privacy, [38]Accessibility, [39]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/2603/CenA_SADR_5000.jpg
   3. https://www.facebook.com/SadrObservatory/
   4. http://www.astrosurf.com/jcdalouzy/
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html
   6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurus_A
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200222.html
   8. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/09_visiblelight/
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241211.html
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliptical_galaxy
  11. https://app.astrobin.com/i/ixo52t
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120701.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210804.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230503.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?tquery=colliding+galaxies
  16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_galactic_nucleus
  17. https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https://preview.redd.it/my-cat-is-obsessed-with-my-new-aquarium-he-will-sit-here-v0-6n1hn3b2rvnd1.jpeg?width=4433&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7ccbe844e403d440db3226f62967b6e6ce7c7d67
  18. https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/what-is-a-light-year/
  19. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1998A&ARv...8..237I/abstract
  20. https://www.scigames.org/apps/webjigsaw2/index.php
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260329.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  27. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  30. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260330
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260331.html
  32. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  33. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  34. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  35. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  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/