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 May 7
   [2]Two large galaxies are shown against a dark starfield. The galaxy on
     the upper left has blue spiral arms speckled with red nebulae. The
    galaxy on the lower right has a white line with red filaments on each
    side. Thin wisps cover some of the rest of the field. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                         Galaxy Wars: M81 versus M82
   Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Collaborative Astrophotography Team (CAT)

   Explanation: In the upper left corner, surrounded by blue arms and
   dotted with red nebulas, is spiral galaxy [4]M81. In the lower right
   corner, marked by a light central line and surrounded by red glowing
   gas, is irregular galaxy [5]M82. This [6]stunning vista shows these two
   mammoth galaxies locked in [7]gravitational combat, as they have been
   for the past billion years. The gravity from each galaxy
   [8]dramatically affects the other during each hundred-million-year
   pass. Last go-round, [9]M82's gravity likely raised density waves
   rippling around [10]M81, resulting in the richness of [11]M81's spiral
   arms. But M81 left [12]M82 with violent star forming regions and
   colliding gas clouds so energetic the galaxy [13]glows in X-rays. This
   big battle is [14]seen from Earth through the faint glow of an
   [15]Integrated Flux Nebula, a little studied complex of diffuse gas and
   dust clouds in our [16]Milky Way Galaxy. In a few billion years, only
   one galaxy [17]will remain.

                    Tomorrow's picture: incredible crab 1
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    Authors & editors: [29]Robert Nemiroff ([30]MTU) & [31]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([32]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [33]Specific rights apply.
            [34]NASA Web Privacy, [35]Accessibility, [36]Notices;
                A service of: [37]ASD at [38]NASA / [39]GSFC,
                         [40]NASA Science Activation
                           & [41]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2505/M81M82_CAT_3780.jpg
   3. https://www.astrobin.com/m6cjk0/
   4. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250327.html
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230802.html
   6. https://www.astrobin.com/m6cjk0/
   7. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30468/
   8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_merger
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060414.html
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_81
  11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39Sw0axqIBM
  12. http://messier.seds.org/m/m082.html
  13. http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2000/0094/index.html
  14. http://www.iqtrivia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/animals-looking-through-the-window-201.jpg
  15. https://www.spacetelescope.org/projects/fits_liberator/fitsimages/rogelio_bernal_andreo_1/
  16. https://science.nasa.gov/resource/the-milky-way-galaxy/
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap041121.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250506.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  22. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  24. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  27. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250507
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250508.html
  29. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  30. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  31. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  32. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  35. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  36. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  37. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  40. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  41. http://www.mtu.edu/