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.

                               2019 August 22
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                        Nearby Spiral Galaxy NGC 4945
                 Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Martin Pugh

   Explanation: Large spiral galaxy NGC 4945 is seen [5]edge-on near the
   center of this [6]cosmic galaxy portrait. In fact, it's almost the size
   of our [7]Milky Way Galaxy. NGC 4945's own dusty disk, young blue star
   clusters, and pink star forming regions standout in the sharp, colorful
   telescopic image. About 13 million light-years distant toward the
   [8]expansive southern constellation [9]Centaurus, NGC 4945 is only
   about six times farther away than Andromeda, the nearest large spiral
   galaxy to the Milky Way. Though this galaxy's central region is largely
   hidden from view for optical telescopes, X-ray and infrared
   observations indicate [10]significant high energy emission and star
   formation in the core [11]of NGC 4945. Its obscured but active nucleus
   qualifies the gorgeous island universe as [12]a Seyfert galaxy and home
   to a central supermassive black hole.

                   Tomorrow's picture: California dreamin'
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    Authors & editors: [24]Robert Nemiroff ([25]MTU) & [26]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([27]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [28]Specific rights apply.
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                A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC
                           & [33]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1908/NGC4945_HaLRGB.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.martinpughastrophotography.space/
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010510.html
   6. https://www.martinpughastrophotography.space/ngc-4945
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140724.html
   8. http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/Centaurus.html
   9. http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/cen/index.html
  10. http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0002244
  11. http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso0931/
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010701.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190821.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  17. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  22. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=190822
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190823.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  27. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  33. http://www.mtu.edu/