Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

M74: A Grand Design Spiral

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for August 30, 2026 is “M74: A Grand Design Spiral,” an image. It is credited to NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI / AURA)- ESA / Hubble Collaboration Acknowledgment: R. Chandar (U. Toledo) & J. Miller (U. Michigan). The original explanation runs about 112 words.

A spiral galaxy with grand, winding spiral arms.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI / AURA)- ESA / Hubble Collaboration Acknowledgment: R. Chandar (U. Toledo) & J. Miller (U. Michigan) Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“If not the most grand, then this spiral galaxy is at least one of the most photogenic. An island universe of about 100 billion stars, 32 million light-years away toward the constellation Pisces, M74 presents a gorgeous face-on view.”

— APOD editors, August 30, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
August 30, 2026
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI / AURA)- ESA / Hubble Collaboration Acknowledgment: R. Chandar (U. Toledo) & J. Miller (U. Michigan)
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 112 words

All of August 2026 → · 2026 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: August 30 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Electronics Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB Read astronomy and space-history books anywhere. View on Amazon → Electronics Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones Noise-cancelling headphones for documentaries and launch livestreams. View on Amazon →

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.