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 June 5
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                        The Hydra Cluster of Galaxies
               Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Rafael Sampaio

   Explanation: Within our own Milky Way galaxy, two bright, spiky stars
   stand [5]like sentinels in the foreground of [6]this cosmic snapshot.
   Far beyond them are the galaxies of [7]the Hydra Cluster. In fact,
   while the spiky foreground stars are hundreds of light-years distant,
   the Hydra Cluster galaxies are well over 100 million light-years away.
   Three large galaxies near the cluster center, two yellow [8]ellipticals
   (NGC 3311, NGC 3309) and one prominent blue spiral (NGC 3312), are the
   dominant galaxies, each about 150,000 light-years in diameter. An
   intriguing overlapping galaxy pair cataloged as [9]NGC 3314 lies above
   and left of NGC 3312. Also known as Abell 1060, the Hydra galaxy
   cluster is one of three large galaxy clusters within 200 million
   light-years of the Milky Way. In the [10]nearby universe, galaxies are
   gravitationally bound into clusters which themselves are loosely bound
   [11]into superclusters. Superclusters in turn are seen to align over
   even larger [12]scales.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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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/2606/HydraClusterSampaio.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.instagram.com/rafael.astrofotografia/
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230216.html
   6. https://www.instagram.com/rafael.astrofotografia/p/DW_neTAjSW5/
   7. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/superc/hya.html
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060520.html
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110715.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110614.html
  11. https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/features/cosmic/nearest_superclusters_info.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260423.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260604.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=260605
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260606.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/