This final APOD is that of the Andromeda Galaxy! Even better, this picture features the galaxy in ultraviolet. Using the GALEX telescope, the spiral of the galaxy almost turns into rings. At 2.5 million light years, Andromeda is the closest galaxy to us and stretches 260,000 light years across! When observing the galaxy in ultraviolet, these rings that we see are thought to be evidence that the Andromeda Galaxy consumed its neighbor galaxy, M32, a some point around 200 million years ago. Overall, it is good to know that the only other galaxy near us is one so beautiful and great.
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120518.html
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