Astronomy Picture of the Day

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                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2020 August 16

              NGC 6814: Grand Design Spiral Galaxy from Hubble
       Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA; Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt

   Explanation: In the center of this serene stellar swirl is likely a
   harrowing black-hole beast. The surrounding swirl sweeps around
   billions of stars which are highlighted by the brightest and bluest.
   The breadth and beauty of the display give the swirl the designation of
   a grand design spiral galaxy. The central beast shows evidence that it
   is a supermassive black hole about 10 million times the mass of our
   Sun. This ferocious creature devours stars and gas and is surrounded by
   a spinning moat of hot plasma that emits blasts of X-rays. The central
   violent activity gives it the designation of a Seyfert galaxy.
   Together, this beauty and beast are cataloged as NGC 6814 and have been
   appearing together toward the constellation of the Eagle (Aquila) for
   roughly the past billion years.

           Pereid Meteor Shower: Notable images submitted to APOD
                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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