                        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.

                                2026 April 5
    A starfield has a spiral galaxy in the center. Around the galaxy is a
     light blue faint halo. One of the spiral arms juts out at about 11
   o'clock. The galaxy center is red, white, and quite bright. Please see
               the explanation for more detailed information.

                     NGC 3310: A Starburst Spiral Galaxy
     Image Credit & Copyright: AAO ITSO Office, Gemini Obs./AURA & T. A.
                        Rector (U. Alaska Anchorage)

   Explanation: The party is still going on in spiral galaxy NGC 3310.
   Roughly 100 million years ago, NGC 3310 likely collided with a smaller
   galaxy causing the large spiral galaxy to light up with a tremendous
   burst of star formation. The changing gravity during the collision
   created density waves that compressed existing clouds of gas and
   triggered the star-forming party. The featured image from the Gemini
   North Telescope shows the galaxy in great detail, color-coded so that
   pink highlights gas while white and blue highlight stars. Some of the
   star clusters in the galaxy are quite young, indicating that starburst
   galaxies may remain in star-burst mode for quite some time. NGC 3310
   spans about 50,000 light years, lies about 50 million light years away,
   and is visible with a small telescope towards the constellation of
   Great Bear Ursa Major.

                     Tomorrow's picture: horsehead high
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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