Just Beautiful!
Posted on 03/19/2011 7:09:20 AM PDT by paul in cape
Messier 106
Explanation: Close to the Great Bear (Ursa Major) and surrounded by the stars of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici), this celestial wonder was discovered in 1781 by the metric French astronomer Pierre Mechain.
Later, it was added to the catalog of his friend and colleague Charles Messier as M106. Modern deep telescopic views reveal it to be an island universe -- a spiral galaxy around 30 thousand light-years across located only about 21 million light-years beyond the stars of the Milky Way.
Along with a bright central core, this colorful composite image highlights youthful blue star clusters and reddish stellar nurseries tracing the galaxy's spiral arms.
It also shows off remarkable reddish jets of glowing hydrogen gas. In addition to small companion galaxy NGC 4248 (bottom right) background galaxies can be found scattered throughout the frame.
M106 (aka NGC 4258) is a nearby example of the Seyfert class of active galaxies, seen across the spectrum from radio to x-rays.
Active galaxies are believed to be powered by matter falling into a massive central black hole.
Just Beautiful!
Not cirticizing, but beautiful doesn’t do it justice. Mind you I have no better description, just, well... This photo is a sample of just how vast our universe is.
Absolutely marvelous!! God’s creation is unmatchable!
And on a sidenote, I found this...
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/525347
Makes you feel pretty small.
bookmark
I love the false color composite photographs astronomers are creating nowadays. Really lets you see what's going on.
Of course me being the cynic that I am, your link and the picture opening this thread give a good perspective into the foolish notion of man made global warming.
Loved the link! Just sent to my 10-yr old grandson who loves science!
Beautiful.
Just be careful on Newgrounds. Too much NSFW or home stuff on it. Things are marked for age appropriateness, but there’s stuff that’s misleading. It’s the artists who decide what rating their material is.
You’re just being silly. Don’t you know that God had nothing to do with this, it just evolved from nothing.
The term evolved is not applicable to geologic events or cosmological events
Both are ongoing and in constant flux.
I actually think it came from a god who sneezed out the universe, and his worshipers fear the day of the “Great Hanky.”
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