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 March 27
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                           Exploring the Antennae
               Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Bernard Miller

   Explanation: Some 60 million light-years away in the southerly
   [5]constellation Corvus, two large galaxies are colliding. Stars in the
   two galaxies, cataloged as [6]NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, very rarely
   collide in the course of the ponderous cataclysm that lasts for
   hundreds of millions of years. But the galaxies' large [7]clouds of
   molecular gas and dust often do, triggering [8]furious episodes of star
   formationi near the center of the [9]cosmic wreckage. Spanning over 500
   thousand light-years, this stunning view also reveals new star clusters
   and matter flung far from the scene of the accident by
   [10]gravitational tidal forces. The [11]remarkably sharp ground-based
   image includes narrowband data that highlights the characteristic red
   glow of atomic hydrogen gas in [12]star-forming regions. The suggestive
   overall visual appearance of the extended arcing structures gives the
   galaxy pair its popular name - The Antennae.

                      Tomorrow's picture: floating away
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    Authors & editors: [24]Robert Nemiroff ([25]MTU) & [26]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([27]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [28]Specific rights apply.
              [29]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                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/2103/C60-61_PS2_CROP_FULL.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. http://azstarman.net/CDK/index.html
   5. http://hawastsoc.org/deepsky/crv/index.html
   6. http://spider.seds.org/spider/Misc/n4038-9.html
   7. https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.05240
   8. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2006/46/1995-Image.html
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120604.html
  10. https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/t/Tidal+Tails
  11. http://azstarman.net/CDK/NGC4038.htm
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210129.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210326.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=210327
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210328.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/