Astronomy Picture of the Day

  NGC 4449: Close-up of a Small Galaxy Credit: Data - Hubble Legacy Archive, ESA, NASA; Processing - Robert Gendler   Explanation: Grand spiral galaxies often seem to get all the glory. Their young, blue star clusters and pink star forming regions along sweeping spiral arms are guaranteed to attract attention. But small irregular galaxies form stars too, likeNGC 4449, about 12 million light-years distant. Less than 20,000 light-years across, the small island ... Full Story