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APOD
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.
NGC 2442: Galaxy in Volans
Explanation: Distorted galaxy NGC 2442 can be found in the southern constellation of the flying fish , (Piscis) Volans . Located about 50 million light-years away, the galaxy's two spiral arms extending from a pronounced central bar have a hook-like appearance in wide-field images . But this mosaicked close-up , constructed from Hubble Space Telescope and European Southern Observatory data, follows the galaxy's structure in amazing detail . Obscuring dust lanes, young blue star clusters and reddish star forming regions surround a core of yellowish light from an older population of stars . The sharp image data also reveal more distant background galaxies seen right through NGC 2442's star clusters and nebulae. The image spans about 75,000 light-years at the estimated distance of NGC 2442 .
| Date | August 4, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Credit |
Image Credit & Copyright: Processing: Robert Gendler & Roberto Colombari Data: Hubble Legacy Archive , European Southern Observatory |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |