|
|
First Peek at Spitzer's Lega
…
| Title |
First Peek at Spitzer's Legacy: Mysterious Whirlpool Galaxy |
| Description |
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured these infrared images of the "Whirlpool Galaxy," revealing strange structures bridging the gaps between the dust-rich spiral arms, and tracing the dust, gas and stellar populations in both the bright spiral galaxy and its companion. The Spitzer image is a four-color composite of invisible light, showing emissions from wavelengths of 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange) and 8.0 microns (red). These wavelengths are roughly 10 times longer than those seen by the human eye. The visible light image comes from the Kitt Peak National Observatory 2.1m telescope, and has the same orientation and size as the Spitzer infrared image, measuring 9.9 by 13.7 arcminutes (north up). Also a four-color composite, the visible light image shows emissions from 0.4 to 0.7 microns, including the H-alpha nebular feature (red in the image). The light seen in the images originates from very different sources. At shorter wavelengths (in the visible bands, and in the infrared from 3.6 to 4.5 microns), the light comes mainly from stars. This starlight fades at longer wavelengths (5.8 to 8.0 microns), where we see the glow from clouds of interstellar dust. This dust consists mainly of a variety of carbon-based organic molecules known collectively as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Wherever these compounds are found, there will also be dust granules and gas, which provide a reservoir of raw materials for future star formation. Particularly puzzling are the large number of thin filaments of red emission seen in the infrared data between the arms of the large spiral galaxy. In contrast to the beady nature of the dust emission seen in the arms themselves, these spoke-like features are thin and regular, and prevalent in the gaps all over the face of the galaxy. Also of interest is the contrast in the distributions of dust and stars between the spiral and its faint companion. While the spiral is rich in dust, bright in the longer infrared wavebands, and actively forming new stars, its blue companion shows little infrared emission and hosts an older stellar population. The spectacular whirlpool structure and star formation in M51 are thought to be triggered by an ongoing collision with its companion. Understanding the impact on star formation by the interaction of galaxies is one of the goals of these observations. The targeted galaxy is known by various names: M51 from its Messier catalog designation, and also as NGC 5194. M51 was one of the original discoveries of Charles Messier, found in October 1773 while he was observing a faint comet. The Messier catalogue of galaxies is named after him. Colloquially, M51 is also known as the "Whirlpool Galaxy", or "Rosse's Galaxy," after Lord Rosse, who first detected galaxy spiral structure in his observations of M51. The companion, NGC 5195, was discovered in 1781 by Pierre Mechain. The Whirlpool galaxy is a favorite target for amateur and professional, astronomers, alike, and was the first light target for the Infrared Space Observatory. Found in the constellation Canes Venatici, M51 is 37 million light-years away. The Spitzer observations of M51 are part of a large 500-hour science project, known as the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey, which will comprehensively study 75 nearby galaxies with infrared imaging and spectroscopy. From these data, astronomers will probe the physical processes connecting star formation to the properties of galaxies. This information will provide a vital foundation of data, diagnostic tools, and astrophysical inputs for understanding the distant universe, ultraluminous galaxies, and the formation and evolution of galaxies. |
|
First Peek at Spitzer's Lega
…
| Title |
First Peek at Spitzer's Legacy: Mysterious Whirlpool Galaxy |
| Description |
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured these infrared images of the "Whirlpool Galaxy," revealing strange structures bridging the gaps between the dust-rich spiral arms, and tracing the dust, gas and stellar populations in both the bright spiral galaxy and its companion. The Spitzer image is a four-color composite of invisible light, showing emissions from wavelengths of 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange) and 8.0 microns (red). These wavelengths are roughly 10 times longer than those seen by the human eye. The visible light image comes from the Kitt Peak National Observatory 2.1m telescope, and has the same orientation and size as the Spitzer infrared image, measuring 9.9 by 13.7 arcminutes (north up). Also a four-color composite, the visible light image shows emissions from 0.4 to 0.7 microns, including the H-alpha nebular feature (red in the image). The light seen in the images originates from very different sources. At shorter wavelengths (in the visible bands, and in the infrared from 3.6 to 4.5 microns), the light comes mainly from stars. This starlight fades at longer wavelengths (5.8 to 8.0 microns), where we see the glow from clouds of interstellar dust. This dust consists mainly of a variety of carbon-based organic molecules known collectively as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Wherever these compounds are found, there will also be dust granules and gas, which provide a reservoir of raw materials for future star formation. Particularly puzzling are the large number of thin filaments of red emission seen in the infrared data between the arms of the large spiral galaxy. In contrast to the beady nature of the dust emission seen in the arms themselves, these spoke-like features are thin and regular, and prevalent in the gaps all over the face of the galaxy. Also of interest is the contrast in the distributions of dust and stars between the spiral and its faint companion. While the spiral is rich in dust, bright in the longer infrared wavebands, and actively forming new stars, its blue companion shows little infrared emission and hosts an older stellar population. The spectacular whirlpool structure and star formation in M51 are thought to be triggered by an ongoing collision with its companion. Understanding the impact on star formation by the interaction of galaxies is one of the goals of these observations. The targeted galaxy is known by various names: M51 from its Messier catalog designation, and also as NGC 5194. M51 was one of the original discoveries of Charles Messier, found in October 1773 while he was observing a faint comet. The Messier catalogue of galaxies is named after him. Colloquially, M51 is also known as the "Whirlpool Galaxy", or "Rosse's Galaxy," after Lord Rosse, who first detected galaxy spiral structure in his observations of M51. The companion, NGC 5195, was discovered in 1781 by Pierre Mechain. The Whirlpool galaxy is a favorite target for amateur and professional, astronomers, alike, and was the first light target for the Infrared Space Observatory. Found in the constellation Canes Venatici, M51 is 37 million light-years away. The Spitzer observations of M51 are part of a large 500-hour science project, known as the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey, which will comprehensively study 75 nearby galaxies with infrared imaging and spectroscopy. From these data, astronomers will probe the physical processes connecting star formation to the properties of galaxies. This information will provide a vital foundation of data, diagnostic tools, and astrophysical inputs for understanding the distant universe, ultraluminous galaxies, and the formation and evolution of galaxies. |
|
First Peek at Spitzer's Lega
…
| Title |
First Peek at Spitzer's Legacy: Mysterious Whirlpool Galaxy |
| Description |
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured these infrared images of the "Whirlpool Galaxy," revealing strange structures bridging the gaps between the dust-rich spiral arms, and tracing the dust, gas and stellar populations in both the bright spiral galaxy and its companion. The Spitzer image is a four-color composite of invisible light, showing emissions from wavelengths of 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange) and 8.0 microns (red). These wavelengths are roughly 10 times longer than those seen by the human eye. The visible light image comes from the Kitt Peak National Observatory 2.1m telescope, and has the same orientation and size as the Spitzer infrared image, measuring 9.9 by 13.7 arcminutes (north up). Also a four-color composite, the visible light image shows emissions from 0.4 to 0.7 microns, including the H-alpha nebular feature (red in the image). The light seen in the images originates from very different sources. At shorter wavelengths (in the visible bands, and in the infrared from 3.6 to 4.5 microns), the light comes mainly from stars. This starlight fades at longer wavelengths (5.8 to 8.0 microns), where we see the glow from clouds of interstellar dust. This dust consists mainly of a variety of carbon-based organic molecules known collectively as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Wherever these compounds are found, there will also be dust granules and gas, which provide a reservoir of raw materials for future star formation. Particularly puzzling are the large number of thin filaments of red emission seen in the infrared data between the arms of the large spiral galaxy. In contrast to the beady nature of the dust emission seen in the arms themselves, these spoke-like features are thin and regular, and prevalent in the gaps all over the face of the galaxy. Also of interest is the contrast in the distributions of dust and stars between the spiral and its faint companion. While the spiral is rich in dust, bright in the longer infrared wavebands, and actively forming new stars, its blue companion shows little infrared emission and hosts an older stellar population. The spectacular whirlpool structure and star formation in M51 are thought to be triggered by an ongoing collision with its companion. Understanding the impact on star formation by the interaction of galaxies is one of the goals of these observations. The targeted galaxy is known by various names: M51 from its Messier catalog designation, and also as NGC 5194. M51 was one of the original discoveries of Charles Messier, found in October 1773 while he was observing a faint comet. The Messier catalogue of galaxies is named after him. Colloquially, M51 is also known as the "Whirlpool Galaxy", or "Rosse's Galaxy," after Lord Rosse, who first detected galaxy spiral structure in his observations of M51. The companion, NGC 5195, was discovered in 1781 by Pierre Mechain. The Whirlpool galaxy is a favorite target for amateur and professional, astronomers, alike, and was the first light target for the Infrared Space Observatory. Found in the constellation Canes Venatici, M51 is 37 million light-years away. The Spitzer observations of M51 are part of a large 500-hour science project, known as the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey, which will comprehensively study 75 nearby galaxies with infrared imaging and spectroscopy. From these data, astronomers will probe the physical processes connecting star formation to the properties of galaxies. This information will provide a vital foundation of data, diagnostic tools, and astrophysical inputs for understanding the distant universe, ultraluminous galaxies, and the formation and evolution of galaxies. |
|
Visible-Infrared Whirlpool
| Title |
Visible-Infrared Whirlpool |
| Description |
This animation transitions from the more familiar visible light image of the "Whirlpool Galaxy" to the dramatic new view captured by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Revealed are strange structures bridging the gaps between the dust-rich spiral arms, and tracing the dust, gas and stellar populations in both the bright spiral galaxy and its companion. The visible light image comes from the Kitt Peak National Observatory 2.1m telescope, and is a four-color composite showing light from 0.4 to 0.7 microns, including the H-alpha nebular feature (red in the image). The Spitzer image is a four-color composite of invisible light of wavelengths of 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange) and 8.0 microns (red). These wavelengths are roughly 10 times longer than those seen by the human eye. The light seen in the images originates from very different sources. At shorter wavelengths (in the visible bands, and in the infrared from 3.6 to 4.5 microns), the light comes mainly from stars. This starlight fades at longer wavelengths (5.8 to 8.0 microns), where we see the glow from clouds of interstellar dust. This dust consists mainly of a variety of carbon-based organic molecules known collectively as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Wherever these compounds are found, there will also be dust granules and gas, which provide a reservoir of raw materials for future star formation. In the transition from the visible to the infrared view, the dust lanes seen as dark streaks to the human eye become vivid filaments of red emission seen in the infrared data between the arms of the large spiral galaxy. In contrast to the beady nature of the dust emission seen in the arms themselves, these spoke-like features are thin and regular, and prevalent in the gaps all over the face of the galaxy. Also of interest is the contrast in the distributions of dust and stars between the spiral and its faint companion. While the spiral is rich in dust, bright in the longer infrared wavebands, and actively forming new stars, its blue companion shows little infrared emission and hosts an older stellar population. The spectacular whirlpool structure and star formation in M51 are thought to be triggered by an ongoing collision with its companion. Understanding the impact on star formation by the interaction of galaxies is one of the goals of these observations. The targeted galaxy is known by various names: M51 from its Messier catalog designation, and also as NGC 5194. M51 was one of the original discoveries of Charles Messier, found in October 1773 while he was observing a faint comet. The Messier catalogue of galaxies is named after him. Colloquially, M51 is also known as the "Whirlpool Galaxy", or "Rosse's Galaxy," after Lord Rosse, who first detected galaxy spiral structure in his observations of M51. The companion, NGC 5195, was discovered in 1781 by Pierre Mechain. The Whirlpool galaxy is a favorite target for amateur and professional astronomers, alike, and, was the first light target for the Infrared Space Observatory. Found in the constellation Canes Venatici, M51 is 37 million light-years away. The Spitzer observations of M51 are part of a large 500-hour science project, known as the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey, which will comprehensively study 75 nearby galaxies with infrared imaging and spectroscopy. From these data, astronomers will probe the physical processes connecting star formation to the properties of galaxies. This information will provide a vital foundation of data, diagnostic tools, and astrophysical inputs for understanding the distant universe, ultraluminous galaxies, and the formation and evolution of galaxies. |
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Anomalous Arms
| Title |
Anomalous Arms |
| Description |
In this composite image of spiral galaxy M106 (NGC 4258), optical data from the Digitized Sky Survey is shown as yellow, radio data from the Very Large Array appears as purple, X-ray data from Chandra is coded blue, and infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope appears red. Two anomalous arms, which aren't visible at optical wavelengths, appear as purple and blue emission. |
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Animations of Deep Field in
…
| Name |
Animations of Deep Field in Canes Venatici |
|
More Images of Deep Field in
…
| Name |
More Images of Deep Field in Canes Venatici |
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NGC 4151: Chandra Observes C
…
| Name |
NGC 4151: Chandra Observes Cloud Powered by Black Hole in Distant Galaxy |
| Category |
Quasars & Active Galaxies |
| Release Date |
June 05, 2000 |
|
Deep Field in Canes Venatici
…
| Name |
Deep Field in Canes Venatici: Chandra Resolves Cosmic X-Ray Glow and Finds Mysterious New Sources |
| Category |
Deep Fields/X-ray Background |
| Release Date |
January 13, 2000 |
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NGC 4631 Chandra Detects Hal
…
| Name |
NGC 4631 Chandra Detects Halo Of Hot Gas Around Milky Way-Like Galaxy |
| Category |
Normal Galaxies & Starburst Galaxies |
| Release Date |
July 19, 2001 |
|
VLA Radio Image of NGC 4258
| Name |
VLA Radio Image of NGC 4258 |
|
NGC 4258 (M106): Mysterious
…
| Name |
NGC 4258 (M106): Mysterious Arms Revealed |
| Category |
Normal Galaxies & Starburst Galaxies, Quasars & Active Galaxies |
| Release Date |
April 10, 2007 |
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Whirlpool Galaxy (M51): A Cl
…
| Name |
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51): A Classic Beauty |
| Category |
Normal Galaxies & Starburst Galaxies |
| Release Date |
December 10, 2007 |
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Swirling Galaxy Parents Gene
…
| Title |
Swirling Galaxy Parents Generations of Stars in Its Center |
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Fireworks of Star Formation
…
| Title |
Fireworks of Star Formation Light up a Galaxy |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Reveals the Heart of
…
| Title |
Hubble Reveals the Heart of the Whirlpool Galaxy |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
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Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv
…
| Title |
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Pinpoints Doomed Star
…
| Title |
Hubble Pinpoints Doomed Star that Explodes as Supernova |
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Hubble Pinpoints Doomed Star
…
| Title |
Hubble Pinpoints Doomed Star that Explodes as Supernova |
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Hubble Pinpoints Doomed Star
…
| Title |
Hubble Pinpoints Doomed Star that Explodes as Supernova |
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Hubble Pinpoints Doomed Star
…
| Title |
Hubble Pinpoints Doomed Star that Explodes as Supernova |
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Hubble Observes the Supernov
…
| Title |
Hubble Observes the Supernova in the Whirlpool Galaxy |
|
Stellar Fireworks Are Ablaze
…
| Title |
Stellar Fireworks Are Ablaze in Galaxy NGC 4449 |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. On July 4, fireworks blaze over the skies of American cities in the annual Independence Day celebrations. But nearly 12.5 million light-years away in the dwarf galaxy NGC 4449 stellar "fireworks" are going off all the time. The image was taken in November 2005 with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. |
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NGC 4214: Star Forming Galax
…
| Title |
NGC 4214: Star Forming Galaxy |
| Explanation |
Dazzling displays of star formation abound across the face of galaxy NGC 4214, a mere 13 million light-years away in the northern constellation Canes Venatici [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/ constellations/Canes_Venatici.html ]. While this 1997 Hubble Space Telescope image [ http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2000/01/pr-photos.html ] shows the numerous faint, older stars of NGC 4214 [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/2000jan6/ngc4214table.html ], the most eye-catching features are the galaxy's bright young star clusters surrounded by fluorescent gas clouds. Sculpted [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990930.html ] into bubbles and filamentary shapes by energetic explosions [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990515.html ] and stellar winds [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991130.html ] from massive cluster stars, the clouds fluoresce in the intense stellar ultraviolet radiation. The colorful [ http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math/workbk/map/map.html ] spectacle of massive young star forming clusters and distinguished presence of a fainter, older stellar population indicate that NGC 4214 has experienced star formation [ http://observe.ivv.nasa.gov/nasa/exhibits/stellarbirth/ Star_index.html ] episodes spanning billions of years. |
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M106: A Spiral Galaxy with a
…
| Title |
M106: A Spiral Galaxy with a Strange Core |
| Explanation |
What's happening at the center of spiral galaxy M106? A swirling disk of stars and gas, M106 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m106.html ]'s appearance is dominated by two bright spiral arms and dark dust [ ftp://ftp.amara.com/papers/dustevolve.txt ] lanes near the nucleus. Bright newly formed stars near their outer tips distinguish the spiral arms in the above photograph [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/robserver.html ]. The core of M106 glows brightly in radio waves [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/radio.html ] and X-rays [ http://www.optonline.com/comptons/ceo/05250_A.html ] where twin jets have been found [ http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1995ApJ...440..181C ] running the length of the galaxy. An unusual central glow makes M106 one of the closest examples of the Seyfert class of galaxies [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981023.html ], where vast amounts of glowing gas are thought to be falling into a central massive black hole [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/black_holes.html ]. M [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/messier.html ]106, also designated NGC [ http://www.aspsky.org/ngc/ngc.html ] 4258, is a relatively close 25 million light years away, spans 30 thousand light years [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html ] across, and can be seen with a small telescope towards the constellation [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/constellations.html ] of Canes Venatici [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Canes_Venatici.html ]. |
|
SWAN Meets Galaxy
| Title |
SWAN Meets Galaxy |
| Explanation |
This cosmic portrait [ http://www.tamanti.it/Solar%20Sys/Swan%20M4.htm ] recorded October 9th features the lovely blue-green coma [ http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/comet_worldbook.html ] of Comet SWAN [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061004.html ] posing with spiral galaxy NGC 5005 [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_5005 ] in the northern constellation Canes Venatici [ http://www.seds.org/Maps/Stars_en/Fig/ canesvenatici.html ]. At the time the comet (center) was in the close foreground, a mere 9 light-minutes from planet Earth, with the galaxy a more substantial 60 million light-years distant. Not actually related to a bird, Comet SWAN (C/2006 M4 [ http://cometography.com/lcomets/2006m4.html ]) was so named as it was first spotted in image data from the SWAN (Solar Wind ANisotropies) camera aboard the sun-staring SOHO [ http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/ ] spacecraft. Having rounded [ http://www.universetoday.com/2006/10/13/ astrophoto-swan-song-for-a-comet/ ] the Sun, this comet is headed for interstellar space, but first it will make its closest approach to Earth on October 24. With binoculars, northern hemisphere observers can now spot the comet [ http://www.aerith.net/comet/weekly/current.html ] above the northwestern horizon, near the handle of the Big Dipper in the early evening sky [ http://enews.coloradomtn.edu/ index.cfm?method=c.artDetail&artID=1901 ]. |
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