NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection

Visitors' Galaxy Gallery

A tantalizing assortment of island universes [ http://www.astr.ua.…galaxies.text ] is assembled here. From top left to bottom right are the lovely but distant galaxies M61 [ http://www.noao.edu…], NGC 4449 [ http://www.noao.edu…], NGC 4725 [ http://www.noao.edu…], NGC 5068 [ http://www.noao.edu…], NGC 5247 [ http://www.noao.edu…], and NGC 5775/5774 [ http://www.noao.edu…]. Most are spiral galaxies [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] more or less like our own Milky Way [ http://csep1.phy.or…galaxies-info.html ]. The color images reveal distinct pink patches marking the glowing hydrogen gas clouds in star forming regions along the graceful spiral arms. While Virgo cluster [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] galaxy M61 is perhaps the most striking of these spirals, the interesting galaxy pair [ http://www.astr.ua.…] NGC 5775/5774 neatly contrasts the characteristic spiral edge-on and face-on appearance. The one exception to this parade [ http://www.astronom…] of photogenic spiral galaxies is the small and relatively close irregular galaxy NGC 4449 (top middle). Similar to the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], companion galaxy to the Milky Way, NGC 4449 also sports young blue star clusters and pink star forming regions. All the galaxies in this gallery [ http://www.noao.edu…] were imaged with a small (16 inch diameter) reflecting telescope and digital camera by public participants in the Kitt Peak National Observatory Visitor Center's Advanced Observing Program [ http://www.noao.edu…advanced.html ].

Courtesy Adam Block [ mailto:ablock@noao.e du ] (KPNO Visitor Program [ http://www.noao.edu…]), NOAO [ http://www.noao.edu/], NSF [ http://www.nsf.gov/]

galaxy

m61

ngc4449

ngc4725

ngc5068

ngc5247

ngc5775

M61

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Virgo

http://antwrp.gsfc.…

SPD-APOD-ap010427