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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.   
      
                                  2023 January 17   
            A deep image of M31, the Andromeda galaxy, shows unexpected   
       oxygen-glowing arcs to its left. Please see the explanation for more   
                               detailed information.   
      
                   Unexpected Clouds Toward the Andromeda Galaxy   
             Image Credit & Copyright: Yann Sainty & Marcel Drechsler   
      
      Explanation: Why are there oxygen-emitting arcs near the direction of   
      the Andromeda galaxy? No one is sure. The gas arcs, shown in blue, were   
      discovered and first confirmed by amateur astronomers just last year.   
      The two main origin hypotheses for the arcs are that they really are   
      close to Andromeda (M31), or that they are just coincidentally placed   
      gas filaments in our Milky Way galaxy. Adding to the mystery is that   
      arcs were not seen in previous deep images of M31 taken primarily in   
      light emitted by hydrogen, and that other, more distant galaxies have   
      not been generally noted as showing similar oxygen-emitting structures.   
      Dedicated amateurs using commercial telescopes made this discovery   
      because, in part, professional telescopes usually investigate angularly   
      small patches of the night sky, whereas these arcs span several times   
      the angular size of the full moon. Future observations -- both in light   
      emitted by oxygen and by other elements -- are sure to follow.   
      
                         Tomorrow's picture: JWST lensing   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
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