|
|
Browse All
:
Images of M61 and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
|
Printer Friendly |
The Virgo Cluster of Galaxie
…
| Title |
The Virgo Cluster of Galaxies |
| Explanation |
Pictured are several galaxies of the Virgo Cluster, the closest cluster of galaxies [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/white/mug/cluster/clusters.html ] to our Milky Way Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990224.html ]. The Virgo Cluster [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/virgo.html ] spans more than 5 degrees on the sky - about 10 times the angle made by a full Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991108.html ]. It contains over 100 galaxies of many types - including spirals [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/spiral_galaxies.html ], ellipticals [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/elliptical_galaxies.html ], and irregular [ http://www.seds.org/messier/irre.html ] galaxies. The Virgo Cluster [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/white/mug/cluster/virgo.html ] is so massive that it is noticeably pulling our Galaxy toward it. The cluster contains not only galaxies filled with stars but also gas so hot [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960419.html ] it glows in X-rays [ http://www.optonline.com/comptons/ceo/05250_A.html ]. Motions of galaxies in and around clusters indicate that they contain more dark matter [ http://cfpa.berkeley.edu/darkmat/dm.html ] than any visible matter we can see. Notable bright galaxies in the Virgo Cluster include bright Messier objects [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/messier.html ] such as M61 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980922.html ], M87 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950913.html ], M90 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960316.html ], and M100 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980606.html ]. |
|
Visitors' Galaxy Gallery
| Title |
Visitors' Galaxy Gallery |
| Explanation |
A tantalizing assortment of island universes [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/goodies/data_resources/ galaxies.text ] is assembled here. From top left to bottom right are the lovely but distant galaxies M61 [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/m61.html ], NGC 4449 [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/n4449.html ], NGC 4725 [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/n4725.html ], NGC 5068 [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/n5068.html ], NGC 5247 [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/n5247.html ], and NGC 5775/5774 [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/n5775.html ]. Most are spiral galaxies [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000908.html ] more or less like our own Milky Way [ http://csep1.phy.ornl.gov/guidry/violence/ 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.nasa.gov/apod/ap010126.html ] galaxy M61 is perhaps the most striking of these spirals, the interesting galaxy pair [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/pairs2.html ] NGC 5775/5774 neatly contrasts the characteristic spiral edge-on and face-on appearance. The one exception to this parade [ http://www.astronomynook.com/galaxy_types.htm ] 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.nasa.gov/apod/ap980124.html ], 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/outreach/aop/observers/galaxy.html ] 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/noao/pio/pop/advanced/ advanced.html ]. |
|
M61: Virgo Spiral Galaxy
| Title |
M61: Virgo Spiral Galaxy |
| Explanation |
M61 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the nearby Virgo Cluster of Galaxies [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/virgo_gal.html ]. Visible in M61 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m061.html ] are a host of features common to spiral galaxies [ http://www.astro.princeton.edu/~frei/catalog.htm ]: bright spiral arms [ http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast162/Wi97/Unit4/spirals.html ], a central bar [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970519.html ], dust lanes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980116.html ], and bright knots of stars. M61 [ http://crux.astr.ua.edu/gifimages/m61r.html ], also known as NGC 4303 [ http://www.astro.princeton.edu/~frei/Gcat_htm/Sub_sel/gal_4303.htm ], in similar to our own Milky Way Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971229.html ]. M61 was discovered by telescope in 1779 twice on the same day, but one observer initially mistook the galaxy for a comet. Light from M61 [ http://siggy.iusb.edu/netah/messier/mess-pict/pages/m061.html ] takes about 60 million years to reach us. Recent observations of M61 have detected unpredicted high velocity gas [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1996ApJ...472L..77B&db_key=AST&nosetcookie=1&high=33613e8e5802351 ] moving in its halo. |
|
Visitors' Galaxy Gallery
| Title |
Visitors' Galaxy Gallery |
| Explanation |
A tantalizing assortment of island universes [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/goodies/data_resources/ galaxies.text ] is assembled here. From top left to bottom right are the lovely but distant galaxies M61 [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/m61.html ], NGC 4449 [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/n4449.html ], NGC 4725 [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/n4725.html ], NGC 5068 [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/n5068.html ], NGC 5247 [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/n5247.html ], and NGC 5775/5774 [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/n5775.html ]. Most are spiral galaxies more or less like our [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040701.html ] own Milky Way [ http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/galaxy.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://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/galgrps/ vir.html ] galaxy M61 is perhaps the most striking of these spirals, the interesting galaxy pair [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/pairs2.html ] NGC 5775/5774 neatly contrasts the characteristic spiral edge-on and face-on appearance. The one exception to this parade [ http://www.astronomynook.com/galaxy_types.htm ] 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.nasa.gov/apod/ap040902.html ], 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/outreach/aop/observers/galaxy.html ] 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/noao/pio/pop/advanced/ advanced.html ]. |
|
|
