Posted on 08/06/2009 2:00:37 PM PDT by paul in cape
Explanation: This wide, sharp telescopic view reveals galaxies scattered beyond the stars at the northern boundary of the high-flying constellation Pegasus. Prominent at the upper right is NGC 7331.
A mere 50 million light-years away, the large spiral is one of the brighter galaxies not included in Charles Messier's famous 18th century catalog. The disturbed looking group of galaxies at the lower left is well-known as Stephan's Quintet.
About 300 million light-years distant, the quintet dramatically illustrates a multiple galaxy collision, its powerful, ongoing interactions posed for a brief cosmic snapshot.
On the sky, the quintet and NGC 7331 are separated by about half a degree.
Ah....so beautiful it is like a dream.
I’ve been counseling with Stephans Quintet. Everything is going to be alright.
Andromeda is amazing. I’m far enough in the sticks that light pollution isn’t bad, so I can see it easily.
Awesome picture.
Fun Fact: Stephan’s Quintet is (are?) movie stars, in some sense of the term. The galaxy cluster was used at the beginning of It’s a Wonderful Life.
That is a fun fact. Wonder how long since the supposed collision?
WOW!
Just a loonnng way to the next rest stop.
Well, you should have gone when we stopped at the moon.
Continued:
But Daaaad, I didn’t have to go then.
I’m sorry but you’ll just have to hold it.
Honey, she can’t, you’ll just have to turn around.
Nope, not doing it, she’ll just have to use the
Astro pod like everyone else.
But Daaaaad, I’m scared of that thing, it clanks and
whooshes and it’l suck me out into Spaaaace!
Oh, nonsense, just use it.
Three hours later:
Say, anyone seen Suzey?
At 2-5 million light years the Andromeda Galaxy is the most distant object that the unaided human eye can see.
picture?
The image posted is not the Andromeda M31 Galaxy.
But it’s very nice none the less.
CONSERVATARIAN! Thats GREAT!
Yep, that is not Andromeda, but Andromeda is the most distant object the unaided human eye can perceive.
Yup...
Galaxies are massive island universes within the universe.
Andromeda is heading right at earth at great speed, and will eventually collide with our own galaxy.
Actually I can't even see Andromeda from my location due to overuse of street lights. But I can see it and image it with my telescope.
I find myself drawn to galaxies...Something about them I find extremely intriguing.
I took this image about 5 months ago of the Whirlpool Galaxy M-51... More distant than Andromeda, M51 is 23 million light years way:
Not a galaxy but here is M-13.
Took this one about 2 months ago. At 25,000 light years away it's but one of my favorite globular clusters. It contains several hundred thousands suns.
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