Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Spiral Galaxy NGC 1512: Wide Field

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 4, 2026 is “Spiral Galaxy NGC 1512: Wide Field,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Stern). The original explanation runs about 154 words.

A spiral galaxy is shown that seems to have rings in place of spiral arms. The outer ring is blue and filled with stars, while the inner ring is more red. The center has a vertical bar. Please see the explanation for more detailed informati
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Stern Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Most galaxies don’t have any rings — why does this galaxy have three? To begin, a ring that’s near NGC 1512 ‘s center — and so hard to see here — is the nuclear ring which glows brightly with recently formed stars .”

— APOD editors, February 4, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
February 4, 2026
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Stern
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 154 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.