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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.

                                 2025 May 26
   An oval galaxy is shown against a field of stars. The outer rings shows
    many bright blue stars. In the center is a bright nucleus with eight
      spikes jutting out. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                      Spiral Galaxy NGC 2566 from Webb
                Image Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Leroy

   Explanation: WhatCÇÖs happening in the center of spiral galaxy NGC 2566?
   First, the eight rays that appear to be coming out of the center in the
   featured infrared image are not real CÇö they are diffraction spikes
   caused by the mechanical structure of the Webb space telescope itself.
   The center of NGC 2566 is bright but not considered unusual, which
   means that it likely contains a supermassive black hole, although
   currently not very active. At only 76 million light years away, the
   light we see from NGC 2566 today left when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
   The picturesque galaxy is close enough so that Earthly telescopes,
   including Webb and Hubble, can resolve the turbulent clouds of gas and
   dust where stars can form and so allows study of stellar evolution. NGC
   2566, similar in size to our Milky Way Galaxy, is notable for its
   bright central bar and its prominent outer spiral arms.

                  Tomorrow's picture: colorful star clouds
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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