June 23, 2023
The same forces that sculpt nebulae and spin galaxies into existence were at work the day you were born.
Giant Galaxies in Pavo
Birthday · June 23, 2023
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APOD published June 23, 2023. Credit: Mike Selby. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Over 500,000 light years across, NGC 6872 (top right) is a truly enormous barred spiral galaxy, at least 5 times the size of our own very large Milky Way. The appearance of this giant galaxy's distorted and stretched out spiral arms suggests the magnificent wings of a giant bird. Of course its popular moniker is the Condor galaxy. It lies about 200 million light-years distant toward the southern constellation Pavo, the Peacock. Lined with star-forming regions, the distorted spiral arms are due to NGC 6872's gravitational interaction with the nearby smaller galaxy IC 4970, seen just above the giant galaxy's core. The Pavo galaxy group's dominant giant elliptical galaxy, NGC 6876 is below and left of the soaring Condor galaxy.
Image credit: Mike Selby