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.

                                2024 March 20
    [2]Two large galaxies are pictured. On the left is a distorted spiral
     galaxy, while on the right is a relatively featureless yellow disk
     galaxy. Together, these galaxies may look, to some, like a pair of
       eyes. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                    The Eyes in Markarian's Galaxy Chain
                   Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Mike Selby

   Explanation: Across the heart of the [4]Virgo Galaxy Cluster lies a
   string of galaxies known as [5]Markarian's Chain. Prominent in
   [6]Markarian's Chain are these two [7]interacting galaxies, NGC 4438
   (left) and NGC 4435 - also known as The Eyes. About 50 million
   [8]light-years away, the two galaxies appear to be about 100,000
   light-years apart in [9]this sharp close-up, but have likely approached
   to within an estimated 16,000 light-years of each other in their
   [10]cosmic past. Gravitational tides from [11]the close encounter have
   ripped away at their stars, gas, and dust. The more massive NGC 4438
   managed to hold on to much of the material torn out in the
   [12]collision, while material from the smaller NGC 4435 was more
   [13]easily lost. The remarkably deep image of this crowded region
   [14]of the universe also includes many more [15]distant background
   galaxies.

                     Tomorrow's picture: three galaxies
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    Authors & editors: [27]Robert Nemiroff ([28]MTU) & [29]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([30]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [31]Specific rights apply.
            [32]NASA Web Privacy, [33]Accessibility, [34]Notices;
                A service of: [35]ASD at [36]NASA / [37]GSFC,
                         [38]NASA Science Activation
                           & [39]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2403/Ngc4438_Selby_2068.jpg
   3. https://throughlightandtime.com/about/
   4. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230526.html
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210522.html
   6. https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astrophotography/galaxies/markarians-chain
   7. https://youtu.be/7MKCZJYChmE
   8. https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/faq/26/what-is-a-light-year/
   9. https://www.instagram.com/p/C4fgJ9puFQL/
  10. https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_lookback.html
  11. http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2003/ngc4438/
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130514.html
  13. https://www.pawschicago.org/fileadmin/_processed_/0/1/csm__MG_7375_b9fb882943.jpg
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220316.html
  15. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30946
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240319.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  20. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  22. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  25. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240320
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240321.html
  27. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  28. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  29. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  30. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  35. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  36. https://www.nasa.gov/
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  38. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  39. http://www.mtu.edu/