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Astronomy Picture of the Day - The Hydra Cluster of Galaxies
NASA ^ | 5 Jun, 2026 | Image Credit & Copyright: Rafael Sampaio

Posted on 06/05/2026 12:08:42 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: Within our own Milky Way galaxy, two bright, spiky stars stand like sentinels in the foreground of this cosmic snapshot. Far beyond them are the galaxies of the Hydra Cluster. In fact, while the spiky foreground stars are hundreds of light-years distant, the Hydra Cluster galaxies are well over 100 million light-years away. Three large galaxies near the cluster center, two yellow ellipticals (NGC 3311, NGC 3309) and one prominent blue spiral (NGC 3312), are the dominant galaxies, each about 150,000 light-years in diameter. An intriguing overlapping galaxy pair cataloged as NGC 3314 lies above and left of NGC 3312. Also known as Abell 1060, the Hydra galaxy cluster is one of three large galaxy clusters within 200 million light-years of the Milky Way. In the nearby universe, galaxies are gravitationally bound into clusters which themselves are loosely bound into superclusters. Superclusters in turn are seen to align over even larger scales.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa

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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 06/05/2026 12:08:42 PM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 06/05/2026 12:09:03 PM 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

đŸȘ 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 06/05/2026 12:09:46 PM 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

In my opinion, galaxy clusters negate the Big Bang theory.


4 posted on 06/05/2026 12:15:43 PM PDT by NavyShoe
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To: MtnClimber

I couldn’t help but notice the “smiley face” just to the right of center.


5 posted on 06/05/2026 12:17:14 PM PDT by telescope115 (Ad Astra, Ad Deum
)
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To: NavyShoe

How do you figure that? I’m not arguing, as I really don’t know cosmology well enough to refute or support what you’re saying. I know there are others here much more knowledgeable than myself that will say one way or the other.


6 posted on 06/05/2026 12:23:56 PM PDT by telescope115 (Ad Astra, Ad Deum
)
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To: MtnClimber

Wow.


7 posted on 06/05/2026 12:52:05 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: MtnClimber

WOW!


8 posted on 06/05/2026 1:27:38 PM PDT by SkyDancer ( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
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To: MtnClimber

I’ve been told “there is So much
Wasted Space out their,
Has To Be Life on another Planet!”
.
Thank goodness for The Open space
Otherwise We couldn’t see these items
Scopes or Not!


9 posted on 06/05/2026 2:53:24 PM PDT by Big Red Badger (Good SCIENCE is Not Faith BUT Curiosity. )
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