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.

                                2023 April 1
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                         NGC 2442: Galaxy in Volans
       Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Nicolas Rolland, [5]Martin Pugh

   Explanation: [6]Distorted galaxy NGC 2442 can be found in the southern
   constellation of the flying fish, (Piscis) [7]Volans. Located about 50
   million light-years away, the galaxy's two spiral arms extending from a
   pronounced central bar give it a hook-shaped appearance in this deep
   colorful image, with spiky foreground stars scattered across the
   telescopic field of view. The image also reveals the distant galaxy's
   obscuring dust lanes, young blue star clusters and [8]reddish star
   forming regions surrounding a core of yellowish light from an older
   population of stars. But the star forming regions seem more
   concentrated along the drawn-out (upper right) [9]spiral arm. The
   distorted structure is likely the result of an ancient [10]close
   encounter with the smaller galaxy seen near the top left of the frame.
   The two interacting galaxies are separated by about 150,000 light-years
   at the estimated distance of NGC 2442.

                       Tomorrow's picture: Messier 57
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    Authors & editors: [22]Robert Nemiroff ([23]MTU) & [24]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([25]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [26]Specific rights apply.
              [27]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [28]ASD at [29]NASA / [30]GSFC,
                         [31]NASA Science Activation
                           & [32]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2304/NGC2442-NicolasROLLAND_signatur.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://nicolasillustrations.com/
   5. https://www.martinpughastrophotography.space/about
   6. https://esahubble.org/news/heic1108/
   7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volans
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap061123.html
   9. http://cass.ucsd.edu/public/tutorial/Galaxies.html
  10. http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9701015
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230331.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  15. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  20. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230402
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230402.html
  22. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  24. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  25. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  28. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  31. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  32. http://www.mtu.edu/