Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2026 June 3 [2]Wispy clouds of dust and gas in the Milky Way obscure the image. Milky Way stars are scattered across the image. Andromeda is a tight spiral of gas, dust, and stars that occupies the middle background. A couple smaller galaxies look like small bright clumps of stars near Andromeda. Andromeda Through Gas and Dust Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Nick Fritz Text: [4]Keighley Rockcliffe ([5]NASA [6]GSFC, [7]UMBC CSST, [8]CRESST II) Explanation: Over 1000 years ago, Persian astronomer [9]Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi published humanity’s oldest known record of [10]the Andromeda Galaxy in "The Book of Fixed Stars" ([11]Bodleian Library MS. Marsh 144 p. 167). 800 years later, Andromeda became [12]the 31st entry in Charles Messier’s "[13]Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters". From “a small cloud” to “nebula” and now known to be [14]our nearest major galaxy, Andromeda has remained a fundamental astronomical object. [15]Today’s image, taken over 202 hours, shows how far we have come in our ability to observe our neighbor. [16]The diffuse red and blue clouds are mostly foreground ionized hydrogen and oxygen well within our [17]Milky Way. Pink-red clouds of hydrogen [18]ionized by the energetic light of young stars trace the galaxy’s [19]dusty spiral arms. [20]M32 and [21]M110 are [22]satellite galaxies pictured orbiting the larger Andromeda. Despite its long history of observation through ancient unaided eyes to modern telescopes, Andromeda still holds countless secrets that astronomers will continue to search for, including how galaxies [23]merge and evolve, as well as the nature of the [24]dark matter that galaxies reside in. Teachers! the [25]NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program is officially open for applications! Tomorrow's picture: a cosmic buckyball __________________________________________________________________ [26]< | [27]Archive | [28]Submissions | [29]Index | [30]Search | [31]Calendar | [32]RSS | [33]Education | [34]About APOD | [35]Discuss | [36]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [37]Robert Nemiroff ([38]MTU) & [39]Jerry Bonnell ([40]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [41]Specific rights apply. [42]NASA Web Privacy, [43]Accessibility, [44]Notices; A service of: [45]ASD at [46]NASA / [47]GSFC, [48]NASA Science Activation & [49]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2606/andromeda.png 3. https://www.instagram.com/astro_fritz/ 4. https://kerockcliffe.com/ 5. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/keighley.e.rockcliffe 6. https://www.nasa.gov/goddard/ 7. https://csst.umbc.edu/directory/ 8. https://cresst2.umd.edu/ 9. https://blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/updating-stars-and-observing-the-andromeda-galaxy/ 10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap950724.html 11. https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/c1caa84c-f6d2-483f-9eb4-2439cccdc801/surfaces/2df22eed-a07a-4410-8c8a-b765865fbc67/ 12. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/messier-31/ 13. https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6514280n/f235.item 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200426.html 15. https://www.instagram.com/p/DY4obGBkcAV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250804.html 17. https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/milkyway1.html 18. https://www.astronomy.com/science/i-read-that-ultraviolet-light-is-the-cause-of-hii-regions-but-this-light-is-invisible-so-why-are-these-objects-the-color-red/ 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231007.html 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap991103.html 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080909.html 22. https://astrobites.org/2013/01/26/the-curious-case-of-andromedas-satellites/ 23. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/galaxies/evolution/ 24. https://science.nasa.gov/dark-matter/ 25. https://nitarp.ipac.caltech.edu/ 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260602.html 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 30. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 32. https://apod.com/feed.rss 33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 35. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260602 36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260604.html 37. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/ 38. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/ 39. https://inspirehep.net/authors/1073087 40. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 41. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 42. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 43. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 44. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 45. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/astrophysics/ 46. https://www.nasa.gov/ 47. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 48. https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/ 49. http://www.mtu.edu/