MSGID: 1:153/757.0 3154ae85   
   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 27   
      
                               Galaxies in the River   
        Image Credit & License: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA; R. Colombari, M.   
                       Zamani & D. de Martin (NSFCÇÖs NOIRLab)   
      
      Explanation: Large galaxies grow by eating small ones. Even our own   
      galaxy engages in a sort of galactic cannibalism, absorbing small   
      galaxies that are too close and are captured by the Milky Way's   
      gravity. In fact, the practice is common in the universe and   
      illustrated by this striking pair of interacting galaxies from the   
      banks of the southern constellation Eridanus, The River. Located over   
      50 million light years away, the large, distorted spiral NGC 1532 is   
      seen locked in a gravitational struggle with dwarf galaxy NGC 1531, a   
      struggle the smaller galaxy will eventually lose. Seen nearly edge-on,   
      spiral NGC 1532 spans about 100,000 light-years. The merging galaxies   
      are captured in this sharp image from the Dark Energy Camera mounted on   
      the National Science FoundationCÇÖs Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro   
      Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. The NGC 1532/1531 pair is   
      thought to be similar to the well-studied system of face-on spiral and   
      small companion known as M51.   
      
                        Tomorrow's picture: pixels in 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