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 29
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                      Irregular Dwarf Galaxy Sextans A
     Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Franz Hofmann, Gemsbock Observatory

   Explanation: [5]Grand spiral galaxies often seem to get all the
   attention, flaunting young, bright, blue [6]star clusters and
   [7]pinkish star forming regions along graceful, symmetric spiral arms.
   But [8]small galaxies form stars too, like irregular dwarf galaxy
   [9]Sextans A. Its young star clusters and star forming regions are
   gathered into a gumdrop-shaped region a mere 5,000 light-years across.
   Seen toward the navigational constellation Sextans, the small galaxy
   [10]lies some 4.5 million light-years distant. That puts it near the
   outskirts of the [11]local group of galaxies, that includes the large,
   massive spirals [12]Andromeda and our own [13]Milky Way. Brighter Milky
   Way foreground stars appear spiky and yellowish in [14]this colorful
   telescopic view of Sextans A.

                    Tomorrow's picture: Mars in the loop
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    Authors & editors: [26]Robert Nemiroff ([27]MTU) & [28]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([29]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [30]Specific rights apply.
              [31]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [32]ASD at [33]NASA / [34]GSFC,
                         [35]NASA Science Activation
                           & [36]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2505/sexa_gemsbock_cdk_pub.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://astroimages.bine-und-franz.de/
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190629.html
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241128.html
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240819.html
   8. http://www.astro.washington.edu/grebel/dwarfs.html
   9. https://noirlab.edu/public/images/iotw2126a/
  10. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025arXiv250503511Y/abstract
  11. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/localgr.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240908.html
  13. https://science.nasa.gov/resource/the-milky-way-galaxy/
  14. https://astroimages.bine-und-franz.de/en/bilder/galaxien/sexa-gemsbock-cdk/
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250528.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  19. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  24. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250529
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250530.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  27. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  29. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  32. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  35. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  36. http://www.mtu.edu/