APOD: 2026 April 5 – NGC 3310: A Starburst Spiral Galaxy

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Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2026 April 5

NGC 3310: A Starburst Spiral Galaxy
Image Credit & Copyright:
AAO ITSO Office,
Gemini Obs./AURA &
T. A. Rector
(U. Alaska Anchorage)

Explanation:
The party is still going on in spiral galaxy NGC 3310.

Roughly 100 million years ago,
NGC 3310 likely
collided with a smaller galaxy
causing the large
spiral galaxy
to light up with a tremendous burst of
star formation.

The changing gravity during the collision created
density waves that compressed existing
clouds of gas and triggered the
star-forming party.

The featured image from the
Gemini North Telescope shows the galaxy in great detail,
color-coded so that pink highlights gas
while white and blue highlight stars.

Some of the
star clusters
in the galaxy are quite young, indicating that
starburst galaxies may remain in
star-burst mode for quite some time.

NGC 3310 spans about 50,000 light years, lies about 50 million light years away,
and is visible with a small telescope towards the constellation of Great Bear
Ursa Major.

Tomorrow’s picture: horsehead high