Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

NGC 1566: The Spanish Dancer Galaxy

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for March 16, 2026 is “NGC 1566: The Spanish Dancer Galaxy,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA , D. Calzetti & the LEGUS Team , R. Chandar. The original explanation runs about 146 words.

A spiral galaxy fills the frame with a white center in the middle. Two bright arms spiral out from the center filled with red nebulas along their spines and surrounded by bright blue star clusters. Please see the explanation for more detail
Credit: Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA , D. Calzetti & the LEGUS Team , R. Chandar Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“If not perfect, then this spiral galaxy is at least one of the most photogenic. An island universe containing billions of stars and situated about 40 million light-years away toward the constellation of the Dolphinfish ( Dorado ), NGC 1566 presents a gorgeous face-on view .”

— APOD editors, March 16, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
March 16, 2026
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA , D. Calzetti & the LEGUS Team , R. Chandar
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 146 words

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Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: March 16 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.