邻近的螺旋星系NGC 4945

邻近的螺旋星系NGC 4945

ByNASA中文

2022年2月26日 Nearby Spiral Galaxy NGC 4945 Image Credit & Copyright: Dietmar Hager, Eric Benson Explanation: Large spiral galaxy NGC 4945 is seen nearly edge-on in this cosmic galaxy close-up. It’s almost the size of our Milky Way Galaxy. NGC 4945’s own dusty disk, young blue star clusters, and pink star forming regions stand out in the colorful telescopic frame. About 13 million light-years distant toward the expansive southern constellation Centaurus, NGC 4945 is only about six times farther away than Andromeda, the nearest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. Though this galaxy’s central region is largely hidden from view for optical telescopes, X-ray and infrared observations indicate significant high energy emission and star formation in the core of NGC 4945. Its obscured but active…

NGC 3717：几乎侧向的旋涡星系

NGC 3717：几乎侧向的旋涡星系

ByGotthew

2019 November 12 NGC 3717: A Nearly Sideways Spiral Galaxy Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Processing: D. Rosario Explanation: Some spiral galaxies are seen nearly sideways. Most bright stars in spiral galaxies swirl around the center in a disk, and seen from the side, this disk can be appear quite thin. Some spiral galaxies appear even thinner than NGC 3717, which is actually seen tilted just a bit. Spiral galaxies form disks because the original gas collided with itself and cooled as it fell inward. Planets may orbit in disks for similar reasons. The featured image by the Hubble Space Telescope shows a light-colored central bulge composed of older stars beyond filaments of orbiting dark brown dust. NGC 3717 spans about 100,000 light years and…