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                           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.   
      
                                 2024 December 26   
      
                               Grand Spiral NGC 5643   
                         Image Credit: ESA / Hubble & NASA   
      
      Explanation: Viewed face-on, grand spiral galaxy NGC 5643 has a festive   
      appearance in this colorful cosmic portrait. Some 55 million   
      light-years distant, the galaxy extends for over 100,000 light-years,   
      seen within the boundaries of the southern constellation Lupus. Its   
      inner 40,000 light-years are shown in sharp detail in this composite of   
      Hubble Space Telescope image data. The galaxy's magnificent spiral arms   
      wind from a yellowish central region dominated by light from old stars,   
      while the spiral arms themselves are traced by dust lanes, young blue   
      stars and reddish star forming regions. The bright compact core of NGC   
      5643 is also known as a strong emitter of radio waves and X-rays. In   
      fact, NGC 5643 is one of the closest examples of the Seyfert class of   
      active galaxies, where vast amounts of dust and gas are thought to be   
      falling into a central massive black hole.   
      
                   Tomorrow's picture: planet Earth at twilight   
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          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
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