Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Markarian's Chain

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 1, 2026 is “Markarian's Chain,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Chuck Ayoub). The original explanation runs about 138 words.

Markarian's Chain
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Chuck Ayoub Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Near the heart of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster , a string of galaxies known as Markarian’s Chain stretches across this telescopic field of view. Anchored in the frame at bottom right by prominent lenticular galaxies, M84 (bottom) and M86 , you can follow the chain’s gentle arc up and toward the left.”

— APOD editors, May 1, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
May 1, 2026
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Chuck Ayoub
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 138 words

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Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 1 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.