Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

NGC 3310: A Starburst Spiral Galaxy

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for April 5, 2026 is “NGC 3310: A Starburst Spiral Galaxy,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: AAO ITSO Office , Gemini Obs. / AURA & T. A. Rector ( U. Alaska Anchorage )). The original explanation runs about 143 words.

A starfield has a spiral galaxy in the center. Around the galaxy is a light blue faint halo. One of the spiral arms juts out at about 11 o'clock. The galaxy center is red, white, and quite bright. Please see the explanation for more detaile
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: AAO ITSO Office , Gemini Obs. / AURA & T. A. Rector ( U. Alaska Anchorage ) Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“The party is still going on in spiral galaxy NGC 3310. Roughly 100 million years ago, NGC 3310 likely collided with a smaller galaxy causing the large spiral galaxy to light up with a tremendous burst of star formation .”

— APOD editors, April 5, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
April 5, 2026
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: AAO ITSO Office , Gemini Obs. / AURA & T. A. Rector ( U. Alaska Anchorage )
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 143 words

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Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

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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.