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

                        IC 2574: Coddington's Nebula
                 Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Dane Vetter

   Explanation: [5]Grand spiral galaxies often seem to get all the glory,
   flaunting their young, bright, blue star clusters in beautiful,
   symmetric [6]spiral arms. But small, irregular galaxies form stars too.
   In fact, [7]dwarf galaxy IC 2574 shows clear [8]evidence of intense
   star forming activity in its telltale reddish regions of glowing
   hydrogen gas. Just as in spiral galaxies, the [9]turbulent star-forming
   regions in IC 2574 are churned by [10]stellar winds and supernova
   explosions spewing material into the galaxy's interstellar medium and
   [11]triggering further star formation. A mere 12 million light-years
   distant, IC 2574 is part of the M81 group of galaxies, seen toward the
   northern constellation Ursa Major. Also known as Coddington's Nebula,
   the faint but intriguing [12]island universe is about 50,000
   light-years across, discovered by American astronomer Edwin Coddington
   in 1898.

                       Tomorrow's picture: in the dark
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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/2602/IC2574Vetter.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://app.astrobin.com/u/Dane_Vetter
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210813.html
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080517.html
   7. https://app.astrobin.com/u/Dane_Vetter?i=xti9o5
   8. http://arxiv.org/abs/0808.0193
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240627.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250203.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap111120.html
  12. https://history.aip.org/exhibits/cosmology/ideas/island.htm
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260218.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=260219
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260220.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/