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.

                               2026 January 11
     [2]A red-tinged ring of dust is seen nearly on edge. In the ring's
    center and extending around the frame, blue gas and stars are shown.
          Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                    M104: The Sombrero Galaxy in Infrared
     Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]JPL, [5]Caltech, [6]SSC, [7]R. Kennicutt
                          ([8]Steward Obs.) et al.,

   Explanation: This floating ring is the size of a galaxy. In fact, it is
   a galaxy -- or at least part of one: the photogenic [9]Sombrero Galaxy,
   one of the largest galaxies in the nearby [10]Virgo Cluster of
   Galaxies. The dark band of [11]dust that obscures the mid-section of
   the [12]Sombrero Galaxy in [13]visible light actually glows brightly in
   [14]infrared light. The [15]featured image, digitally [16]sharpened,
   shows the [17]infrared glow, recently recorded by the orbiting
   [18]Spitzer Space Telescope, superposed in false-color on an
   [19]existing image taken by NASA's [20]Hubble Space Telescope in
   [21]visible light. The [22]Sombrero Galaxy, also known as [23]M104,
   spans about 50,000 [24]light years and lies 28 million light years
   away. [25]M104 can be seen with a small telescope in the direction of
   the constellation [26]Virgo.

               Jigsaw Galaxy: [27]Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
                      Tomorrow's picture: meteor drift
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [39]Robert Nemiroff ([40]MTU) & [41]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([42]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [43]Specific rights apply.
            [44]NASA Web Privacy, [45]Accessibility, [46]Notices;
                A service of: [47]ASD at [48]NASA / [49]GSFC,
                         [50]NASA Science Activation
                           & [51]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2601/sombrero_spitzer_3000.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
   5. http://www.caltech.edu/
   6. http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/
   7. https://astro.arizona.edu/person/robert-kennicutt
   8. https://astro.arizona.edu/
   9. http://messier.seds.org/m/m104.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250417.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombrero_galaxy
  13. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/09_visiblelight/
  14. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/07_infraredwaves/
  15. https://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/image/ssc2005-11a-spitzer-spies-spectacular-sombrero
  16. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e7/35/5c/e7355cd990352206b7f178759302ac7d.jpg
  17. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fmZPxO_Vw9Y
  18. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/spitzer/
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210514.html
  20. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/overview/about-hubble/
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251207.html
  22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombrero
  23. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBB2xQe8nMw
  24. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/en/
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241126.html
  26. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgo_(constellation)
  27. https://www.scigames.org/apps/webjigsaw2/index.php
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260110.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  32. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  34. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  37. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260111
  38. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260112.html
  39. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  40. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  41. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  42. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  43. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  46. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  47. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  48. https://www.nasa.gov/
  49. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  50. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  51. http://www.mtu.edu/