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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 August 31   
      
                            IFN and the NGC 7771 Group   
                Image Credit & Copyright: Steve Mandel and Bob Fera   
      
      Explanation: Galaxies of the NGC 7771 Group are featured in this   
      intriguing skyscape. Some 200 million light-years distant toward the   
      constellation Pegasus, NGC 7771 is the large, edge-on spiral near   
      center, about 75,000 light-years across, with two smaller galaxies   
      below it. Large spiral NGC 7769 is seen face-on to the right. Galaxies   
      of the NGC 7771 group are interacting, making repeated close passages   
      that will ultimately result in galaxy-galaxy mergers on a cosmic   
      timescale. The interactions can be traced by distortions in the shape   
      of the galaxies themselves and faint streams of stars created by their   
      mutual gravitational tides. But a clear view of this galaxy group is   
      difficult to come by as the deep image also reveals extensive clouds of   
      foreground dust sweeping across the field of view. The dim, dusty   
      galactic cirrus clouds are known as Integrated Flux Nebulae. The faint   
      IFN reflect starlight from our own Milky Way Galaxy and lie only a few   
      hundred light-years above the galactic plane.   
      
                         Tomorrow's picture: moon dressing   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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