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Astronomy Picture of the Day 🪐 @apod.shinyakato.dev

🔭 NGC 1309: A Useful Spiral Galaxy Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing: L. Galbany, S. Jha, K. Noll, A. Riess apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap25081...

A large spiral galaxy appears with stars in the foreground and smaller galaxies far in the background. The picturesque spiral has dark dust lanes between blue arms. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
aug 18, 2025, 8:00 am • 123 28

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Astronomy Picture of the Day 🪐 @apod.shinyakato.dev

This galaxy is not only pretty -- it's useful. A gorgeous spiral some 100 million light-years distant, NGC 1309 lies on the banks of the constellation of the River (Eridanus). NGC 1309 spans about 30,000 light-years, making it about one third the size of our larger Milky Way galaxy. Bluish clusters

aug 18, 2025, 8:00 am • 4 0 • view
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Astronomy Picture of the Day 🪐 @apod.shinyakato.dev

of young stars and dust lanes are seen to trace out NGC 1309's spiral arms as they wind around an older yellowish star population at its core. Not just another pretty face-on spiral galaxy, observations of NGC 1309's two recent supernovas and multiple Cepheid variable stars contribute to the

aug 18, 2025, 8:00 am • 8 1 • view
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Astronomy Picture of the Day 🪐 @apod.shinyakato.dev

calibration of the expansion of the Universe. Still, after you get over this beautiful galaxy's grand design, check out the array of more distant background galaxies also recorded in this sharp image from the Hubble Space Telescope.

aug 18, 2025, 8:00 am • 9 1 • view