APOD: 2026 September 11 – M83: The Southern Pinwheel
The post APOD: 2026 September 11 – M83: The Southern Pinwheel appeared first on NASA Science .
Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day, dated September 11, 2026, showcases the beautiful and bright spiral galaxy M83, also known as the Southern Pinwheel. Located approximately twelve million light-years away, near the southeastern tip of the constellation Hydra, this galaxy's prominent spiral arms, traced by dark dust lanes and blue star clusters, give it its popular moniker. However, the reddish star-forming regions scattered throughout its spiral arms have earned it an additional nickname, the Thousand-Ruby Galaxy.
At a mere 40,000 light-years across, M83 is smaller than our own Milky Way galaxy. It belongs to a group of galaxies, including the active galaxy Centaurus A. Interestingly, the core of M83 is bright at x-ray energies, indicating a high concentration of neutron stars and black holes resulting from an intense burst of star formation.
This ground-based telescopic view features not only M83 but also foreground Milky Way stars and distant background galaxies. The main NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day website is undergoing a move from apod.nasa.gov to science.nasa.gov/apod.
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- APOD: 2026 September 11 – M83: The Southern Pinwheel science.nasa.gov
