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.

                               2024 November 7
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                          Shell Galaxies in Pisces
               Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]George Williams

   Explanation: [5]This spectacular intergalactic skyscape features Arp
   227, a curious system of galaxies from the 1966 [6]Atlas of Peculiar
   Galaxies. Some 100 million light-years distant within the boundaries of
   the constellation Pisces, Arp 227 consists of the two galaxies
   prominent above and left of center, the [7]shell galaxy NGC 474 and its
   blue, spiral-armed neighbor NGC 470. The readily apparent shells and
   star streams of [8]NGC 474 are likely tidal features originating from
   the accretion of another smaller galaxy during close gravitational
   encounters that began over a billion years ago. The large galaxy on the
   bottom righthand side of the deep image, NGC 467, appears to be
   surrounded by faint shells and streams too, evidence of another
   [9]merging galaxy system. Intriguing background galaxies are scattered
   around the field that also includes spiky foreground stars. Of course,
   those stars lie well within our own [10]Milky Way Galaxy. The
   telescopic field of view spans 25 arc minutes or just under 1/2 degree
   [11]on the sky.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
     __________________________________________________________________

      [12]< | [13]Archive | [14]Submissions | [15]Index | [16]Search |
   [17]Calendar | [18]RSS | [19]Education | [20]About APOD | [21]Discuss |
                                    [22]>
     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [23]Robert Nemiroff ([24]MTU) & [25]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([26]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [27]Specific rights apply.
              [28]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [29]ASD at [30]NASA / [31]GSFC,
                         [32]NASA Science Activation
                           & [33]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2411/NGC474_S1_Crop.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.astrobin.com/users/KuriousGeorge/
   5. https://www.astrobin.com/huresx/
   6. http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Arp/Arp_contents.html
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180206.html
   8. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022A&A...660A..28B/abstract
   9. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30955
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080104.html
  11. http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/scale.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241106.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  16. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  21. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=241107
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241108.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  26. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  29. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  32. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  33. http://www.mtu.edu/