Similar [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] in size to other large, bright spiral galaxies IC 342 [ http://www.seds.org…] is a mere 7 million light-years distant in the long-necked, northern constellation Camelopardalis [ http://www.coldwate…camelopardalis.html ]. A sprawling island universe [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], IC 342 would otherwise be a prominent galaxy in our night sky [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], but it is almost hidden from view behind the veil of stars, gas and dust clouds in the plane of our Milky Way galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Even though IC 342's light is dimmed by intervening cosmic clouds [ http://www-ssg.sr.u…], this remarkably sharp telescopic image [ http://www.robgendl…] traces the galaxy's own obscuring dust, blue star clusters, and glowing pink star forming regions along spiral arms that wind far from the galaxy's core. IC 342 [ http://www.astro.sp…] may have undergone a recent burst [ http://arxiv.org/ab…] of star formation activity and is close enough [ http://seds.lpl.ari…maffei1g.html ] to have gravitationally influenced the evolution of the local group [ http://seds.lpl.ari…] of galaxies and the Milky Way.
Explanation
Similar [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] in size to other large, bright spiral galaxies IC 342 [ http://www.seds.org…] is a mere 7 million light-years distant in the long-necked, northern constellation Camelopardalis [ http://www.coldwate…camelopardalis.html ]. A sprawling island universe [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], IC 342 would otherwise be a prominent galaxy in our night sky [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], but it is almost hidden from view behind the veil of stars, gas and dust clouds in the plane of our Milky Way galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Even though IC 342's light is dimmed by intervening cosmic clouds [ http://www-ssg.sr.u…], this remarkably sharp telescopic image [ http://www.robgendl…] traces the galaxy's own obscuring dust, blue star clusters, and glowing pink star forming regions along spiral arms that wind far from the galaxy's core. IC 342 [ http://www.astro.sp…] may have undergone a recent burst [ http://arxiv.org/ab…] of star formation activity and is close enough [ http://seds.lpl.ari…maffei1g.html ] to have gravitationally influenced the evolution of the local group [ http://seds.lpl.ari…] of galaxies and the Milky Way.
