                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2025 September 4

                          NGC 4565: Galaxy on Edge
             Image Credit & Copyright: José Rodrigues (IA, OFXB)

   Explanation: Magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 4565 is viewed edge-on from
   planet Earth. Also known as the Needle Galaxy for its narrow profile,
   bright NGC 4565 is a stop on many telescopic tours of the northern sky,
   in the faint but well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices. This sharp,
   colorful image reveals the galaxy's boxy, bulging central core cut by
   obscuring dust lanes that lace NGC 4565's thin galactic plane. NGC 4565
   lies around 40 million light-years distant while the spiral galaxy
   itself spans some 100,000 light-years. That's about the size of our own
   Milky Way. Easily spotted with small telescopes, deep sky enthusiasts
   consider NGC 4565 to be a prominent celestial masterpiece Messier
   missed.

                       Tomorrow's picture: not a star
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

