Astronomy Picture of the Day
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.
2004 April 9
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.
2004 April 9
Explanation:Magnificent spiral galaxyNGC 4565is viewededge-on from planet Earth.Also known as theNeedle Galaxyfor its narrow profile, brightNGC 4565 is a stop on many springtime telescopic toursof the northern sky as it lies in the faint but well-groomedconstellationComaBerenices.Thissharp color image reveals the galaxy's bulging central coredominated by light from a population of older, yellowish stars.The core is dramatically cut by obscuring dust lanes which laceNGC 4565's thin galactic plane.A largeisland universesimilar to our ownMilky WayGalaxy, NGC 4565 is only about 30 million light-years distant, butover 100,000 light-years in diameter. In fact, some consider NGC 4565 to be a prominent celestialmasterpiece Messier missed.
Authors & editors:Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell(USRA)
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&Michigan Tech. U.