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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Galaxies, Stars, and Dust
NASA ^ | 28 Aug, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Robert Eder

Posted on 08/28/2025 11:48:28 AM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: This well-composed telescopic field of view covers over a Full Moon on the sky toward the high-flying constellation Pegasus. Of course the brighter stars show diffraction spikes, the commonly seen effect of internal supports in reflecting telescopes, and lie well within our own Milky Way galaxy. The faint but pervasive clouds of interstellar dust ride above the galactic plane and dimly reflect the Milky Way's starlight. Known as galactic cirrus or integrated flux nebulae they are associated with the Milky Way's molecular clouds. In fact, the diffuse cloud cataloged as MBM 54, less than a thousand light-years distant, fills the scene. The galaxy seemingly tangled in the dusty cloud is the striking spiral galaxy NGC 7497. It's some 60 million light-years away, though. Seen almost edge-on near the center of the field, NGC 7497's own spiral arms and dust lanes echo the colors of stars and dust in our own Milky Way.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa
To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail).

For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 08/28/2025 11:48:28 AM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 08/28/2025 11:48:50 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 08/28/2025 11:49:58 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Wow.


4 posted on 08/28/2025 11:55:45 AM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: MtnClimber

You wonder how many planets are there and what’s on them. We can’t be the only ones in the entire universe. Or are we?


5 posted on 08/28/2025 12:32:24 PM PDT by SkyDancer ( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
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To: SkyDancer

Of course we are not alone, the question is just what else are they out there?

Not humans.


6 posted on 08/28/2025 12:37:35 PM PDT by doorgunner69
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To: MtnClimber

Ringwraith...

And he has the Ring.

That’s not good.


7 posted on 08/28/2025 1:01:53 PM PDT by DannyTN
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To: doorgunner69

Why are they not humans? Again, would we be the only humans in the entire universe? Hollywood style alien creatures?


8 posted on 08/28/2025 1:43:31 PM PDT by SkyDancer ( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
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To: SkyDancer; doorgunner69

There’s no telling . . . We may find out one day that the original Star Trek series was more accurate than anyone could’ve imagined.


9 posted on 08/28/2025 2:41:17 PM PDT by AFB-XYZ (( We have two options: 1. Stand up, or 2. Bend over))
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To: SkyDancer

The odds are against evolution following the same path I would wager.
Think of the slight and not so slight differences in solar radiation, planet chemistry, etc.

Similar, sure


10 posted on 08/28/2025 3:44:17 PM PDT by doorgunner69
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To: doorgunner69

Well if there are other humans out there (which I believe there are) they are no way looking like what the media and Hollyweird depicts.


11 posted on 08/28/2025 4:08:55 PM PDT by SkyDancer ( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
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To: SkyDancer; MtnClimber

“You wonder how many planets are there and what’s on them. We can’t be the only ones in the entire universe. Or are we?”


I look out there and envision life on thousands of planets and wonder just how many Florida men there are...

I don’t thank you enough MtnClimber for the pings but I do appreciate them.


12 posted on 08/29/2025 5:16:27 AM PDT by BBB333 (The Power Of Trump Compels You!)
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