侧向星系NGC 4565

2022年5月26日

NGC 4565: Galaxy on Edge
Image Credit & Copyright: Michael Sherick

Explanation: Magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 4565 is viewed edge-on from planet Earth. Also known as the Needle Galaxy for its narrow profile, bright NGC 4565 is a stop on many telescopic tours of the northern sky, in the faint but well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices. This sharp, colorful image reveals the galaxy’s boxy, bulging central core cut by obscuring dust lanes that lace NGC 4565’s thin galactic plane. NGC 4565 itself lies about 40 million light-years distant and spans some 100,000 light-years. Easily spotted with small telescopes, sky enthusiasts consider NGC 4565 to be a prominent celestial masterpiece Messier missed.

Tomorrow’s picture: pixels in space

侧向星系NGC 4565
影像提供与版权: Michael Sherick

说明: 从地球看出去，壮丽的螺旋星系NGC 4565恰好侧向着我们。因细长外观而有针状星系之名的明亮NGC 4565，是用望远镜巡礼北天昏暗北冕座时经常选定的标的。在这张清晰的彩色影像里，散布在NGC 4565纤薄盘面上的不透光尘埃带，切过鼓胀方形的星系核心。NGC 4565离我们约有4千万光年远，跨幅则在100,000光年左右。用小型望远镜即可轻易见到NGC 4565，因此许多狂热的观星者认为NGC 4565，是著名梅西耶星表的遗珠。

明日的图片: pixels in space