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 July 26
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                               Facing NGC 6946
              Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Roberto Marinoni

   Explanation: From our vantage point in the [5]Milky Way Galaxy, we see
   [6]NGC 6946 face-on. The big, beautiful [7]spiral galaxy is located
   just 20 million light-years away, behind a veil of foreground dust and
   stars in the high and far-off constellation Cepheus. In this [8]sharp
   telescopic portrait, from the core outward the galaxy's colors change
   from the yellowish light of old stars in the center to young blue star
   clusters and reddish star forming regions along the loose, fragmented
   spiral arms. NGC 6946 is also bright [9]in infrared light and rich in
   gas and dust, exhibiting a high star birth and death rate. [10]In fact,
   since the early 20th century [11]ten confirmed supernovae, the
   [12]death explosions of massive stars, were [13]discovered in NGC 6946.
   Nearly 40,000 light-years across, NGC 6946 is also known as the
   [14]Fireworks Galaxy.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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    Authors & editors: [26]Robert Nemiroff ([27]MTU) & [28]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([29]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [30]Specific rights apply.
               [31]NASA Web Privacy, [32]Accessibility Notices
                A service of: [33]ASD at [34]NASA / [35]GSFC,
                         [36]NASA Science Activation
                           & [37]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2407/NGC6946_verB.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.astrobin.com/users/Bluesky71/
   5. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/galaxies/
   6. http://www.messier.seds.org/xtra/ngc/n6946.html
   7. http://www.messier.seds.org/spir.html
   8. https://www.astrobin.com/2kxh8z/B/
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap990322.html
  10. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019ApJ...875...85L/abstract
  11. http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/sn2017/sn2017eaw.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060728.html
  13. http://www.astrosurf.com/snweb2/2008/08S_/08S_Home.htm
  14. http://www.gemini.edu/node/116
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240725.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  19. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  24. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240726
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240727.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  27. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  29. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  33. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/
  35. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  36. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  37. http://www.mtu.edu/