                        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.

                               2023 November 2

                       The Fornax Cluster of Galaxies
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Marcelo Rivera

   Explanation: Named for the southern constellation toward which most of
   its galaxies can be found, the Fornax Cluster is one of the closest
   clusters of galaxies. About 62 million light-years away, it's over 20
   times more distant than our neighboring Andromeda Galaxy, but only
   about 10 percent farther along than the better known and more populated
   Virgo Galaxy Cluster. Seen across this three degree wide field-of-view,
   almost every yellowish splotch on the image is an elliptical galaxy in
   the Fornax cluster. Elliptical galaxies NGC 1399 and NGC 1404 are the
   dominant, bright cluster members toward the bottom center. A standout,
   large barred spiral galaxy, NGC 1365, is visible on the upper right as
   a prominent Fornax cluster member.

                    Tomorrow's picture: opposite the Sun
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