Galaxy Images
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37 MLY
In Ursa Major
f/3.3 DSI
02/17/2005
Whirlpool galaxy M51 was one of Charles Messier's
original discoveries: He discovered it on October 13,
1773, when observing a comet, and described it as a
"very faint nebula, without stars" which is difficult to see.
Its companion, NGC 5195, was discovered in 1781 by
his friend, Pierre Méchain.
called the M101 Group. On photographs, however, the
Pinwheel Galaxy M101 is revealed as one of the most
prominent Grand Design spirals in the sky. While quite
symmetric visually and in very short exposures which
show only the central region, it is of remarkable
unsymmetry, its core being considerably displaced from
the center of the disk.
27 MLY
In Ursa Major
f/3.3 DSI
04/17/2005
and more conspicuous Northern objects which Charles Messier missed
when compiling his catalog. Thus its discovery was left to William
Herschel. This beautiful galaxy was also left out by Patrick Moore when
he compiled his Caldwell catalog. NGC 2905 is a bright knot (star cloud)
in NGC 2903, contrary to the NGC 2000.0 description. It was first
assigned an extra number by William Herschel (H I.57). NGC 2903 is
listed by Brent Tully at a distance of 20.5 million light years. It is a
beautiful spiral, seen from an oblique angle.
Mag 9.10 20 MLY
In Leo
f/3.3 DSI
02/04/2005
50 MLY
In Virgo
f/3.3 DSI
02/11/2005
object of the catalog which was not included in Messier's originally
published catalog. However, Charles Messier added it by hand to his
personal copy on May 11, 1781, and described it as a "very faint
nebula." It was Camille Flammarion who found that its position
coincided with Herschel's H I.43, which is the Sombrero Galaxy
(NGC 4594), and added it to the official Messier list in 1921.
galaxies. M100 is a spiral galaxy, like our Milky Way, and tilted nearly
face-on as seen from earth. It is among the first spirals that have been
discovered, and listed by Lord Rosse as one of 14 "spiral nebulae"
discovered to 1850. The galaxy has two prominent arms of bright blue
stars and several fainter arms. The blue stars in the arms are young hot
and massive stars which formed recently from density perturbations
caused by interactions with neighboring galaxies which are lying just
outside our image.
60 MLY
In Coma Berenices
f/3.3 DSI
02/04/2005
colleague and friend, Pierre Méchain, together with the
nearby situated M98 and M100. Charles Messier
measured its position and included it in his catalog on
April 13, 1781, immediately before finishing the third,
final published edition.
Three supernovae have been recorded in M99: the type
II supernova 1967H, mag 14, in June 1967. type II
supernova 1972Q, mag 15.6, on Dec 16, 1972, and
1986I of type I, mag 14, on May 17, 1986.
60 Million LY
In Coma Berenices
03/13/2005
35 Million LY
In Leo
f/3.3 DSI
02/04/2005
constellation of Leo. It is being tugged
on by its nearby neighbors M65 and
NGC 3628. In fact, the arms of this
galaxy appear to rise above the main
disk. The many bright blue and pink
regions indicate the active star forming
regions. M66 and the other galaxies in
this group are estimated to be 35 million
light years away.
together with its neighbors M66 and NGC 3628,
forms a most conspicuous triplet of galaxies, the Leo
Triplett or M66 group, located at a distance of about
35 million light years. Although it is close to and thus
under the gravitational influence of its neighbors,
M65 looks like a very "normal" Sa type spiral and
seems to have felt little influence. It has a prominent
central lense and tightly wound spiral arms, plus a
prominent dust lane marking the facing edge.
35 Million LY
In Leo
f/3.3 DSI
02/04/2005
dynamically isolated binary system (number 570 in
the catalog of double galaxies compiled by Igor
Karachentsev), NGC7332 and 7339 are too far
apart for obvious interaction (such as tails and
streamers), although they are almost certainly orbiting
around each other.
NGC7332 is the brighter galaxy to the right (west) of
the image. It shows evidence of partial dust lanes,
has an extended envelope and possesses a
compressed, bright, box-like central bulge. It is
classified S0(pec), being an intermediate lenticular
galaxy, and its peculiar tag refers to the unusual
box-like shape of the central region (sometimes
called peanut-shaped).
.
In Pegasus
f/3.3 DSI
09/08/2005
4039, the ringtail or antennae galaxies in
Corvus. Image was taken by Ron Abbott
from the www.astrolandofoz.com .
This image is of two galaxies that have
collided sometime in the past.
