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 June 13
Messier 66 Close Up
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble
Collaboration.
Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin and Robert Gendler
Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy Messier 66 lies a mere 35
million light-years away. The gorgeous island universe is about 100
thousand light-years across, similar in size to the Milky Way. This
Hubble Space Telescope close-up view spans a region about 30,000
light-years wide around the galactic core. It shows the galaxy's disk
dramatically inclined to our line-of-sight. Surrounding its bright
core, the likely home of a supermassive black hole, obscuring dust
lanes and young, blue star clusters sweep along spiral arms dotted with
the tell-tale glow of pinkish star forming regions. Messier 66, also
known as NGC 3627, is the brightest of the three galaxies in the
gravitationally interacting Leo Triplet.
Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.
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