MSGID: 1:153/757.0 9b065779   
   TZUTC: -0700   
   CHRS: LATIN-1 2   
                           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 July 12   
       A spiral galaxy is shown with a yellow center, blue rings and spiral   
      arms, and dark brown and red dust. The surrounding dark field contains   
      both local stars and more distant galaxies. Please see the explanation   
                          for more detailed information.   
      
                      Rings and Bar of Spiral Galaxy NGC 1398   
                    Image Credit: Mark Hanson; Data: Mike Selby   
      
      Explanation: Why do some spiral galaxies have a ring around the center?   
      Spiral galaxy NGC 1398 not only has a ring of pearly stars, gas and   
      dust around its center, but a bar of stars and gas across its center,   
      and spiral arms that appear like ribbons farther out. The featured deep   
      image from Observatorio El Sauce in Chile shows the grand spiral galaxy   
      in impressive detail. NGC 1398 lies about 65 million light years   
      distant, meaning the light we see today left this galaxy when dinosaurs   
      were disappearing from the Earth. The photogenic galaxy is visible with   
      a small telescope toward the constellation of the Furnace (Fornax). The   
      ring near the center is likely an expanding density wave of star   
      formation, caused either by a gravitational encounter with another   
      galaxy, or by the galaxy's own gravitational asymmetries.   
      
                          Tomorrow's picture: open space   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.   
                   NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices   
                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
   --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-6   
    * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)   
   SEEN-BY: 1/123 15/0 90/1 105/81 106/201 123/131 129/305 134/100 153/135   
   SEEN-BY: 153/143 757 802 6809 7715 218/700 840 221/1 6 226/30 227/114   
   SEEN-BY: 229/110 112 113 206 307 317 400 426 428 470 664 700 240/1120   
   SEEN-BY: 266/512 282/1038 291/111 301/1 113 812 317/3 320/219 322/757   
   SEEN-BY: 335/364 341/66 342/200 396/45 460/58 256 1124 633/280 712/848   
   SEEN-BY: 5020/400 1042 5054/30 5075/35   
   PATH: 153/757 221/6 301/1 460/58 229/426