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Credit & Copyright: Paolo Demaria
Explanation:
A cosmic snapshot from May 19,
this colorful telescopic field of view spans about 1 degree
or 2 full moons on the sky.
Spiky in appearance, foreground Milky Way stars are scattered
toward the royal constellation
Cepheus while stars
of open cluster NGC 6939 gather about 5 thousand light-years in the distance
near the top of the frame.
Face-on spiral
galaxy NGC 6946 is toward the lower left nearly
22 million light-years away.
The helpful red lines identify recently discovered
supernova
SN 2017eaw, the death explosion of a massive star nestled
in the galaxy's bluish spiral arms.
In fact
in the last 100 years, 10 supernovae have been discovered in NGC 6946.
By comparison, the average rate of supernovae in our Milky Way is about 1
every 100 years
or so.
Of course, NGC 6946 is also known as
The Fireworks Galaxy.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: NGC 6946 - star cluster - spiral galaxy - supernova
Publications with words: NGC 6946 - star cluster - spiral galaxy - supernova
See also:
- APOD: 2026 September 18 Á Messier 33: The Triangulum Galaxy
- A Treasure Chest in the Carina Nebula
- APOD: 2026 September 11 Á M83: The Southern Pinwheel
- APOD: 2026 August 30 Á M74: A Grand Design Spiral
- NGC 300: A Cosmic Gemstone with Stars and Gas Clouds
- APOD: 2026 May 29 Á Messier 104
- APOD: 2026 April 5 Á NGC 3310: A Starburst Spiral Galaxy