Explanation:
Large, dusty, spiral galaxy NGC 4945 is seen
edge-on
near the center of this
rich
telescopic image.
The field of view spans nearly 2 degrees, or about 4 times the width
of the Full Moon, toward the
expansive southern
constellation Centaurus.
About 13 million light-years distant, NGC 4945 is almost
the size of our own
Milky Way Galaxy.
But X-ray and infrared observations
reveal
even more high energy emission and star formation in the core
of NGC 4945.
The other prominent galaxy in the field, NGC 4976, is an
elliptical galaxy.
Left of center,
NGC 4976
is much farther away, at a distance of about 35 million light-years,
and not physically associated with NGC 4945.
Editor's Note: A version of the image with labels generated
by Astrometry.net is
available here.
digg_url = 'http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090109.html'; digg_skin = 'compact';
