Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Galaxies in the River

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 8, 2020 is “Galaxies in the River,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Star Shadows Remote Observatory , PROMPT, CTIO). The original explanation runs about 139 words.

Galaxies in the River
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Star Shadows Remote Observatory , PROMPT, CTIO Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the 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.”

— APOD editors, January 8, 2020

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
January 8, 2020
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Star Shadows Remote Observatory , PROMPT, CTIO
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 139 words

All of January 2020 → · 2020 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The Milky WayGalaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: January 8 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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.