Atoms-for-Peace Galaxy Collision
This is a picture of NGC 7252, the result of two large galaxies colliding. The full collsion will take hundreds of millions of years. The combined galaxies has been given the nickname "Atoms-for-Peace" because it looks similar to a giant atom. Atoms-for-Peace spans about 600,000 light years and is about 220 million light years in the direction of the constellation Aquarius. It is not unlikely that this will someday happen to our Milky Way! Our galaxy could perhaps collide with the nearby Andromeda Galaxy!!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
APOD 2.3
NGC 4452: An Extremely Thin Galaxy
While to most people this picture would look simply like a bright line in the sky, astronomers are able to identify it as a galaxy being seen perfectly edge on. This galaxy, known as NGC 4452, belongs to Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. Because it is a disk galaxy, it makes it hard to determine what type of galaxy it actually is. It is likely a low-dust lenticular galaxy because of its lack of a visible dust lane. NGC 4452 has an estimated span of 35,000 light years. Our own Milky Way is thought to be just as thin as this galaxy!!
While to most people this picture would look simply like a bright line in the sky, astronomers are able to identify it as a galaxy being seen perfectly edge on. This galaxy, known as NGC 4452, belongs to Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. Because it is a disk galaxy, it makes it hard to determine what type of galaxy it actually is. It is likely a low-dust lenticular galaxy because of its lack of a visible dust lane. NGC 4452 has an estimated span of 35,000 light years. Our own Milky Way is thought to be just as thin as this galaxy!!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
APOD 2.2
Spicules: Jets on the Sun
The Sun is covered with thousands of young spicules. These spicules are pipes of transparent magnetic fields filled with hot gas moving 50,000 kilometers per hour. Each pipe is as wide as a state and as long as Earth! In this particular picture, the spicules are extremely evident in the converging sunspot in the lower left corner. Spicules usually only last about five minutes. They start out as very tall tubes and rapidly decrease in size. It is amazing how incredibly high resolution this picture is! What determines the actual creation of these spicules is still unknown.
The Sun is covered with thousands of young spicules. These spicules are pipes of transparent magnetic fields filled with hot gas moving 50,000 kilometers per hour. Each pipe is as wide as a state and as long as Earth! In this particular picture, the spicules are extremely evident in the converging sunspot in the lower left corner. Spicules usually only last about five minutes. They start out as very tall tubes and rapidly decrease in size. It is amazing how incredibly high resolution this picture is! What determines the actual creation of these spicules is still unknown.
APOD 2.1
Mirach's Ghost
NGC 404, or Mirach's ghost, is a very faint galaxy that is seen along the line of sight of the bright star, Mirach. Mirach is also known as Beta Andromedae. It is a giant red star located about 200 light years away. While it is cooler than the sun, it is still much larger and much brighter! The galaxy is called Mirach's ghost because when looking at it through most telescopic views, it appears to be a ghostly internal reflection of the overwhelmingly bright star. There is a lot of glare and diffraction which makes Mirach's Ghost hard to see. It is amazing that we are even able to see this galaxy at all since it is located over 10 million light years away!!
NGC 404, or Mirach's ghost, is a very faint galaxy that is seen along the line of sight of the bright star, Mirach. Mirach is also known as Beta Andromedae. It is a giant red star located about 200 light years away. While it is cooler than the sun, it is still much larger and much brighter! The galaxy is called Mirach's ghost because when looking at it through most telescopic views, it appears to be a ghostly internal reflection of the overwhelmingly bright star. There is a lot of glare and diffraction which makes Mirach's Ghost hard to see. It is amazing that we are even able to see this galaxy at all since it is located over 10 million light years away!!
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