Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Spiral Galaxy NGC 2566 from Webb

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 26, 2025 is “Spiral Galaxy NGC 2566 from Webb,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: ESA/Webb , NASA & CSA , A. Leroy. The original explanation runs about 156 words.

An oval galaxy is shown against a field of stars. The outer rings shows many bright blue stars. In the center is a bright nucleus with eight spikes jutting out. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Image Credit: ESA/Webb , NASA & CSA , A. Leroy Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What’s happening in the center of spiral galaxy NGC 2566? First, the eight rays that appear to be coming out of the center in the featured infrared image are not real — they are diffraction spikes caused by the mechanical structure of the Webb space telescope itself.”

— APOD editors, May 26, 2025

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
May 26, 2025
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: ESA/Webb , NASA & CSA , A. Leroy
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 156 words

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Topics in this entry

GalaxiesJames Webb Space Telescope

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 26 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.