Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

The Heart Shaped Antennae Galaxies

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 7, 2024 is “The Heart Shaped Antennae Galaxies,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Kent E. Biggs). The original explanation runs about 165 words.

Two galaxies are seen colliding the image center. Together, they look like a classic heart icon but with long tails. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Kent E. Biggs Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Are these two galaxies really attracted to each other? Yes, gravitationally , and the result appears as an enormous iconic heart — at least for now.”

— APOD editors, February 7, 2024

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
February 7, 2024
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Kent E. Biggs
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 165 words

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Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: February 7 in other years

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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.