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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 June 7   
      A spiral galaxy is seen in the image center with a distinct purple hue.   
         The galaxy features a bright inner ring, but even outside of that   
         appears another large ring. The outer rings appears light brown.   
         Foreground stars are visible throughout the image. Please see the   
                    explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                             M94: A Double Ring Galaxy   
                      Image Credit & Copyright: Brian Brennan   
      
      Explanation: Most galaxies don't have any rings of stars and gas -- why   
      does M94 have two? First, spiral galaxy M94 has an inner ring of newly   
      formed stars surrounding its nucleus, giving it not only an unusual   
      appearance but also a strong interior glow. A leading origin hypothesis   
      holds that an elongated knot of stars known as a bar rotates in M94 and   
      has generated a burst of star formation in this inner ring.   
      Observations have also revealed another ring, an outer ring, one that   
      is more faint, different in color, not closed, and relatively complex.   
      What caused this outer ring is currently unknown. M94, pictured here,   
      spans about 45,000 light years in total, lies about 15 million light   
      years away, and can be seen with a small telescope toward the   
      constellation of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici).   
      
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          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
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