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Credit & Copyright: Processing -
Jean-Baptiste Auroux,
Data -
Mike Selby
Explanation:
Barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 is truly a majestic
island universe some 200,000
light-years across.
Located a mere 60 million light-years away toward the faint but heated
constellation
Fornax,
NGC 1365 is a
dominant member of the well-studied
Fornax
Cluster of galaxies.
This
sharp color image
shows the intense, reddish star forming regions near the
ends of the galaxy's central bar and along its spiral arms.
Seen in fine detail, obscuring dust lanes cut
across the galaxy's bright core.
At the core lies a supermassive black hole.
Astronomers think
NGC 1365's
prominent bar plays a crucial role in the
galaxy's evolution,
drawing
gas and dust
into a star-forming maelstrom
and ultimately feeding material into the
central
black hole.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: NGC 1365 - spiral galaxy
Publications with words: NGC 1365 - spiral galaxy
See also: