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Credit & Copyright: NASA,
ESA, and the
Hubble Heritage
(STScI /
AURA)-
ESA / Hubble Collaboration
Acknowledgment: R. Chandar (U. Toledo) & J. Miller (U. Michigan)
Explanation:
If not the most grand, then this
spiral galaxy is at least one of the most photogenic.
An island universe of about 100 billion stars,
32 million light-years away toward the
constellation Pisces,
M74 presents a
gorgeous face-on view.
Classified as
an Sc galaxy, the
grand design of M74's graceful spiral arms are traced by bright
blue star clusters and dark
cosmic dust lanes.
Constructed from archival images, this
sharp composite is from the
Hubble Space Telescope.
Spanning about 30,000
light-years
across the face of
M74, it includes exposures recording
emission from hydrogen atoms, highlighting
the reddish glow of the galaxy's large
star-forming regions.
Acknowledgment: R. Chandar (U. Toledo) & J. Miller (U. Michigan)
APOD's main NASA site is
moving:
From apod.nasa.gov to
science.nasa.gov/apod
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: spiral galaxy - star formation
Publications with words: spiral galaxy - star formation
See also:
- APOD: 2026 August 20 Á The Elephant s Trunk in Cepheus
- NGC 300: A Cosmic Gemstone with Stars and Gas Clouds
- APOD: 2026 May 29 Á Messier 104
- APOD: 2026 April 28 Á CG 30: Cometary Globules
- APOD: 2026 April 13 Á NGC 602 and Beyond
- APOD: 2026 April 5 Á NGC 3310: A Starburst Spiral Galaxy
- APOD: 2026 March 17 Á The Tadpoles of IC 410