                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    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 August 28

                          Galaxies, Stars, and Dust
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Eder

   Explanation: This well-composed telescopic field of view covers over a
   Full Moon on the sky toward the high-flying constellation Pegasus. Of
   course the brighter stars show diffraction spikes, the commonly seen
   effect of internal supports in reflecting telescopes, and lie well
   within our own Milky Way galaxy. The faint but pervasive clouds of
   interstellar dust ride above the galactic plane and dimly reflect the
   Milky Way's starlight. Known as galactic cirrus or integrated flux
   nebulae they are associated with the Milky Way's molecular clouds. In
   fact, the diffuse cloud cataloged as MBM 54, less than a thousand
   light-years distant, fills the scene. The galaxy seemingly tangled in
   the dusty cloud is the striking spiral galaxy NGC 7497. It's some 60
   million light-years away, though. Seen almost edge-on near the center
   of the field, NGC 7497's own spiral arms and dust lanes echo the colors
   of stars and dust in our own Milky Way.

                       Tomorrow's picture: a dark veil
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

