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.

                               2025 February 7
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                      LEDA 1313424: The Bullseye Galaxy
     Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]ESA, Imad Pasha (Yale), Pieter van Dokkum
                                   (Yale)

   Explanation: [5]The giant galaxy cataloged as LEDA 1313424 is about two
   and a half times the size of our own Milky Way. Its remarkable
   appearance in this [6]recently released Hubble Space Telescope image
   strongly suggests its nickname "The Bullseye Galaxy". Known as a
   collisional ring galaxy it has [7]nine rings confirmed by telescopic
   observations, [8]rippling from its center like waves from a pebble
   dropped into a pond. Of course, the pebble dropped into the Bullseye
   galaxy was a galaxy itself. Telescopic observations identify the blue
   dwarf galaxy at center-left as the likely collider, passing through the
   giant galaxy's center and forming concentric rings in the wake of their
   gravitational interaction. The Bullseye Galaxy lies some 567 million
   light-years away toward the constellation Pisces. [9]At that distance,
   this stunning Hubble image would span about 530,000 light-years.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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    Authors & editors: [21]Robert Nemiroff ([22]MTU) & [23]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([24]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [25]Specific rights apply.
              [26]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [27]ASD at [28]NASA / [29]GSFC,
                         [30]NASA Science Activation
                           & [31]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2502/Hubble_LEDA1313424_STScI-01.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.esa.int/
   5. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ad9f5c
   6. https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2025/news-2025-006
   7. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2025/006/01JH3M8FV7QTE0NTS9YEP6722W
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220824.html
   9. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2025/006/01JJADPV8HK2BGG1T12HDSVKT5
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250206.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  14. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  19. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250207
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250208.html
  21. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  22. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  23. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  24. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  26. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  27. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  30. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  31. http://www.mtu.edu/