A dark starfield has an unusual galaxy in the center. This galaxy has a spindle-like shape showing two dust lanes — one running vertically and one running diagonally from the upper left. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
一片黑暗的星场中央有一个不寻常的星系。这个星系呈纺锤状，有两条尘埃带——一条垂直延伸，一条从左上方斜向延伸。有关更多详细信息，请参阅说明。
See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.
请参阅说明。单击图片将下载可用的最高分辨率版本。
See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.
请参阅说明。单击图片将下载可用的最高分辨率版本。
A distant spiral galaxy is seen in the image center. A multi-colored streak runs diagonally across the image from the upper left to the lower right. Parts of this streak have gas near it. The background is dark field filled with stars. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
在图像中心可见一个遥远的螺旋星系。一条多色的条纹从图像的左上角斜向贯穿至右下角。这条条纹的部分区域附近存在气体。背景是布满繁星的暗场。有关更多详细信息，请参阅说明。
这张主题影像显示，左边是一个遥远的星系，右边是一片气体云。气体云上的一个开口与星系在同一侧。有关更多详细信息，请参阅说明。
2023年9月13日 NGC 4632: Galaxy with a Hidden Polar Ring Credit: Jayanne English (U. Manitoba), Nathan Deg (Queen’s University) & WALLABY Survey, CSIRO/ASKAP, NAOJ/Subaru Telescope; Text: Jayanne English (U. Manitoba) Explanation: Galaxy NGC 4632 hides a secret from optical telescopes. It is surrounded by a ring of cool hydrogen gas orbiting at 90 degrees to its spiral disk. Such polar ring galaxies have previously been discovered using starlight. However, NGC 4632 is among the first in which a radio telescope survey revealed a polar ring. The featured composite image combines this gas ring, observed with the highly sensitive ASKAP telescope, with optical data from the Subaru telescope. Using virtual reality, astronomers separated out the gas in the main disk of the galaxy from the ring, and…
2023年8月23日 The Meteor and the Galaxy Credit & Copyright: Jose Pedrero Explanation: It came from outer space. It — in this case a sand-sized bit of a comet nucleus — was likely ejected many years ago from Sun-orbiting Comet Swift-Tuttle, but then continued to orbit the Sun alone. When the Earth crossed through this orbit, the piece of comet debris impacted the atmosphere of our fair planet and was seen as a meteor. This meteor deteriorated, causing gases to be emitted that glowed in colors emitted by its component elements. The featured image was taken last week from Castilla La Mancha, Spain, during the peak night of the Perseids meteor shower. The picturesque meteor streak happened to appear in the only one of 50 frames…
2023年7月27日 Galaxies in the River Image Credit & License: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA; R. Colombari, M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab) Explanation: Large galaxies grow by eating small ones. Even our own galaxy engages in a sort of galactic cannibalism, absorbing small galaxies that are too close and are captured by the Milky Way’s gravity. In fact, the practice is common in the universe and illustrated by this striking pair of interacting galaxies from the banks of the southern constellation Eridanus, The River. Located over 50 million light years away, the large, distorted spiral NGC 1532 is seen locked in a gravitational struggle with dwarf galaxy NGC 1531, a struggle the smaller galaxy will eventually lose. Seen nearly edge-on, spiral NGC 1532 spans about 100,000 light-years….
2023年7月1日 Three Galaxies in Draco Image Credit & Copyright: David Vernet, Jean-François Bax, Serge Brunier, OCA/C2PU Explanation: This tantalizing trio of galaxies sometimes called the Draco Group, is located in the northern constellation of (you guessed it) Draco, the Dragon. From left to right are face-on spiral NGC 5985, elliptical galaxy NGC 5982, and edge-on spiral NGC 5981, all found within this single telescopic field of view that spans a little more than the width of the full moon. While the group is far too small to be a galaxy cluster, and has not been catalogued as a compact galaxy group, the three galaxies all do lie roughly 100 million light-years from planet Earth. Not as well known as other tight groupings of galaxies, the…
2023年4月1日 NGC 2442: Galaxy in Volans Image Credit & Copyright: Nicolas Rolland, Martin Pugh Explanation: Distorted galaxy NGC 2442 can be found in the southern constellation of the flying fish, (Piscis) Volans. Located about 50 million light-years away, the galaxy’s two spiral arms extending from a pronounced central bar give it a hook-shaped appearance in this deep colorful image, with spiky foreground stars scattered across the telescopic field of view. The image also reveals the distant galaxy’s obscuring dust lanes, young blue star clusters and reddish star forming regions surrounding a core of yellowish light from an older population of stars. But the star forming regions seem more concentrated along the drawn-out (upper right) spiral arm. The distorted structure is likely the result of an…
