                        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.

                                2021 June 24

                                 Messier 99
    Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, Janice Lee; Processing & Copyright:
                                  Leo Shatz

   Explanation: Grand design spiral galaxy Messier 99 looks majestic on a
   truly cosmic scale. This recently processed full galaxy portrait
   stretches over 70,000 light-years across M99. The sharp view is a
   combination of ultraviolet, visible, and infrared image data from the
   Hubble Space Telescope. About 50 million light-years distant toward the
   well-groomed constellation Coma Bernices, the face-on spiral is a
   member of the nearby Virgo Galaxy Cluster. Also cataloged as NGC 4254,
   a close encounter with another Virgo cluster member has likely
   influenced the shape of its well-defined, blue spiral arms.

                  Tomorrow's picture: single shot Andromeda
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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