APOD: 2020 December 24 - Portrait of NGC 1055

Merry Christmas Eve my friend Maj William W. 'Bill' Price and thank you for posting the NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for Thursday, December 24, 2020 is titled "Portrait of NGC 1055."

This image is designed IMO to remind us about the star that the wise men of the east followed on their way to see the promised king in Bethlehem. After being brought before Herod the Great they made their way to Bethlehem before Jesus turned 2 years old [reason all the young boys 2 years and younger were slaughtered in Bethlehem.

Merry Christmas Eve my friends. I hope and pray that your Christmas season is being blessed by the LORD with abundant joy.
Image: Portrait of NGC 1055 - Image Credit & Copyright - Martin Pugh

APOD background
"Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 1055 is a dominant member of a small galaxy group a mere 60 million light-years away toward the aquatically intimidating constellation Cetus. Seen edge-on, the island universe spans over 100,000 light-years, a little larger than our own Milky Way galaxy. The colorful, spiky stars decorating this cosmic portrait of NGC 1055 are in the foreground, well within the Milky Way. But the telltale pinkish star forming regions are scattered through winding dust lanes along the distant galaxy's thin disk. With a smattering of even more distant background galaxies, the deep image also reveals a boxy halo that extends far above and below the central bluge and disk of NGC 1055. The halo itself is laced with faint, narrow structures, and could represent the mixed and spread out debris from a satellite galaxy disrupted by the larger spiral some 10 billion years ago."

Booker White - Christmas Eve Blues - 1969 Blues - Bukka White
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX3BnBJvZ-s

FYI Maj Robert Thornton Lt Col Charlie Brown COL Mikel J. Burroughs PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Sgt Vance Bonds MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. TSgt David L. SPC Nancy GreenePO2 (Join to see) SSG Michael Noll SMSgt David A Asbury SMSgt Lawrence McCarter MSgt Paul Connors PO1 H Gene Lawrence SPC Michael Terrell SPC Michael Terrell SSG Samuel Kermon

Good "Thursday & Merry Christmas Eve" Morning my good friend and astronomy enthusiast Maj William W. 'Bill' Price - thanks for sharing the APOD Titled: "Portrait of NGC 1055." That definitely looks like Chrismas Eve in space! Have a great Christmas Eve day and enjoy Christmas tomorrow with your family Bill!

One fantastic Christmas picture.