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.

                               2025 August 19
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                           Giant Galaxies in Pavo
                 Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Adam Block

   Explanation: Over 500,000 light years across, [5]NGC 6872 (bottom left)
   is a truly [6]enormous barred spiral galaxy. At least 5 times the size
   of our own large Milky Way, [7]NGC 6872 is the largest known spiral
   galaxy. About 200 million light-years distant toward the southern
   constellation Pavo, the Peacock, the appearance of this [8]giant
   galaxy's stretched out spiral arms suggest the wings of a giant bird.
   So its popular moniker is the Condor galaxy. Lined with massive young,
   bluish star clusters and [9]star-forming regions, the extended and
   distorted spiral arms are due to NGC 6872's past gravitational
   interactions with the nearby smaller [10]galaxy IC 4970, visible here
   below the giant spiral galaxy's core. Other members of the southern
   [11]Pavo galaxy group are scattered through this [12]magnificent galaxy
   group portrait, with the dominant giant elliptical galaxy, NGC 6876,
   above and right of the soaring Condor galaxy.

                       Tomorrow's picture: meteor door
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    Authors & editors: [24]Robert Nemiroff ([25]MTU) & [26]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([27]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [28]Specific rights apply.
            [29]NASA Web Privacy, [30]Accessibility, [31]Notices;
                A service of: [32]ASD at [33]NASA / [34]GSFC,
                         [35]NASA Science Activation
                           & [36]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2508/NGC6872_block.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.adamblockphotos.com/
   5. http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso9924b/
   6. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007A&A...464..155H/abstract
   7. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014ApJ...795...89E/abstract
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110403.html
   9. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009ApJ...691.1921M/abstract
  10. http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2009/ngc6872/
  11. https://www.astroexplorer.org/details/apj296376f1
  12. https://www.adamblockphotos.com/ngc-6872.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250818.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.com/feed.rss
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  22. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250819
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250820.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://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  32. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  35. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  36. http://www.mtu.edu/