Astronomy Picture of the Day · May 18, 2026

Unraveling NGC 3169

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 18, 2026 is “Unraveling NGC 3169,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Simone Curzi and the ShaRA Team). The original explanation runs about 148 words.

From the explanation

“Spiral galaxy NGC 3169 looks to be unraveling like a ball of cosmic yarn. It lies some 70 million light-years away, south of bright star Regulus toward the faint constellation Sextans.”

— APOD editors, May 18, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: May 18, 2026
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Simone Curzi and the ShaRA Team
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 148 words

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Galaxies

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, May 18, 2026 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-may-18-unraveling-ngc-3169

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.