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.

                               2021 August 13
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                              A Perfect Spiral
   Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]ESA, [5]Hubble, [6]HLA; Processing: [7]Mehmet
                                Hakan Ozsarac

   Explanation: If not perfect then this [8]spiral galaxy is at least one
   of the most photogenic. An [9]island universe of about 100 billion
   stars, 32 million light-years away toward the constellation Pisces,
   [10]M74 presents a gorgeous [11]face-on view. Classified as [12]an Sc
   galaxy, the [13]grand design of M74's graceful spiral arms are traced
   by bright [14]blue star clusters and dark [15]cosmic dust lanes.
   [16]This sharp composite was constructed from image data recorded by
   the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. Spanning
   about 30,000 light-years across the face of M74, it includes exposures
   recording emission from hydrogen atoms, highlighting the reddish glow
   of the galaxy's large star-forming regions. With a lower surface
   brightness than most galaxies in the [17]Messier catalog, M74 is
   sometimes known as the [18]Phantom Galaxy.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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    Authors & editors: [30]Robert Nemiroff ([31]MTU) & [32]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([33]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [34]Specific rights apply.
              [35]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [36]ASD at [37]NASA / [38]GSFC
                           & [39]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2108/m74_APOD.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. http://www.esa.int/
   5. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html
   6. https://hla.stsci.edu/
   7. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mhozsarac/
   8. http://www.messier.seds.org/spir.html
   9. http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/March02/Gordon/Gordon2.html
  10. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/messier-74
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010427.html
  12. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_sequence
  13. http://burro.cwru.edu/Academics/Astr222/Galaxies/Spiral/spiral.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap990402.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap071129.html
  16. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mhozsarac/51348796907/
  17. https://www.nasa.gov/subject/14467/hubbles-messier-catalog/
  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_74
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210812.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  23. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  28. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=210813
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210814.html
  30. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  31. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  32. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  33. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  35. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  36. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  39. http://www.mtu.edu/