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                        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.

                              2024 December 26

                            Grand Spiral NGC 5643
                      Image Credit: ESA / Hubble & NASA

   Explanation: Viewed face-on, grand spiral galaxy NGC 5643 has a festive
   appearance in this colorful cosmic portrait. Some 55 million
   light-years distant, the galaxy extends for over 100,000 light-years,
   seen within the boundaries of the southern constellation Lupus. Its
   inner 40,000 light-years are shown in sharp detail in this composite of
   Hubble Space Telescope image data. The galaxy's magnificent spiral arms
   wind from a yellowish central region dominated by light from old stars,
   while the spiral arms themselves are traced by dust lanes, young blue
   stars and reddish star forming regions. The bright compact core of NGC
   5643 is also known as a strong emitter of radio waves and X-rays. In
   fact, NGC 5643 is one of the closest examples of the Seyfert class of
   active galaxies, where vast amounts of dust and gas are thought to be
   falling into a central massive black hole.

                Tomorrow's picture: planet Earth at twilight
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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