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.

                               2020 December 4
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                           Curly Spiral Galaxy M63
         Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Fabian Neyer, Rainer Spani
     Collaboration Credit: [5]I.D. Karachentsev, F. Neyer, R. Spani, T.
                                    Zilch

   Explanation: A bright spiral galaxy of the northern sky, [6]Messier 63
   is nearby, about 30 million light-years distant toward the loyal
   constellation Canes Venatici. Also cataloged as NGC 5055, the majestic
   [7]island universe is nearly 100,000 light-years across, about the size
   of our own [8]Milky Way. Its bright core [9]and majestic spiral arms
   lend the galaxy its popular name, The Sunflower Galaxy, while this
   exceptionally deep exposure also follows faint, arcing star streams far
   into the galaxy's halo. Extending nearly 180,000 light-years from the
   galactic center the star streams are likely remnants of [10]tidally
   disrupted satellites of M63. Other satellite galaxies of M63 can be
   spotted in this [11]remarkable wide-field image, made with a small
   telescope, including five newly [12]identified faint dwarf galaxies,
   which could contribute to M63's star streams in the next few billion
   years.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
     __________________________________________________________________

      [13]< | [14]Archive | [15]Submissions | [16]Index | [17]Search |
   [18]Calendar | [19]RSS | [20]Education | [21]About APOD | [22]Discuss |
                                    [23]>
     __________________________________________________________________

    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/2012/Neyerm63_l2.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. http://www.starpointing.com/
   5. https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.04984
   6. http://messier.seds.org/m/m063.html
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100109.html
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080104.html
   9. https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/potw1536a/
  10. https://www.cosmotography.com/images/galaxy_cannibalism.html
  11. http://www.starpointing.com/ccd/m63.html
  12. http://www.starpointing.com/ccd/m63_lum_inv_annotated.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201203.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=201204
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201205.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/