                        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.

                               2026 February 5

                       NGC 1275 in the Perseus Cluster
          Image Credit & Copyright: Michal Wierzbinski, Hellas-Sky

   Explanation: Active galaxy NGC 1275 is the central, dominant member of
   the large and relatively nearby Perseus Cluster of Galaxies.
   Wild-looking at visible wavelengths, the active galaxy is also a
   prodigious source of x-rays and radio emission. NGC 1275 accretes
   matter as entire galaxies fall into it, ultimately feeding a
   supermassive black hole at the galaxy's core. Narrowband image data
   used in this sharp telescopic image highlights the resulting galactic
   debris and filaments of glowing gas, some up to 20,000 light-years
   long. The filaments persist in NGC 1275, even though the turmoil of
   galactic collisions should destroy them. What keeps the filaments
   together? Observations indicate that the structures, pushed out from
   the galaxy's center by the black hole's activity, are held together by
   magnetic fields. Also known as Perseus A, NGC 1275 itself spans over
   100,000 light years and lies about 230 million light years away.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

