Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

NGC 6872: A Stretched Spiral

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 25, 1999 is “NGC 6872: A Stretched Spiral,” an image. It is credited to Credit: FORS Team, 8.2-meter VLT Antu, ESO. The original explanation runs about 113 words.

NGC 6872: A Stretched Spiral
Credit: FORS Team, 8.2-meter VLT Antu, ESO Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What makes NGC 6872 so long? Measuring over 700,000 light years across from top to bottom, NGC 6872 is one of the largest barred spiral galaxies known.”

— APOD editors, May 25, 1999

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
May 25, 1999
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: FORS Team, 8.2-meter VLT Antu, ESO
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 113 words

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Topics in this entry

Galaxies

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.