Outer Space Universe » Galaxies

A Barred Spiral Galaxy in a Sea of Galaxies!

Greg - Staff Writer — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:20:43 +0000

How many galaxies can you count in this picture? This image of a barred spiral galaxy (NGC 3259) was released this week by the ESA/Hubble Team. What strikes me about this image is the sheer number of galaxies that appear to be surrounding this beautiful barred spiral galaxy. It's almost as if the barred spiral galaxy is adrift in a sea of galaxies.

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The Large Magellanic Cloud Galaxy

Greg - Staff Writer — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 01:15:07 +0000

The Large Magellanic Cloud Galaxy is a galaxy that is a neighbor to our own Milky Way Galaxy. In fact, it's considered a satellite galaxy because it's a mere 50 kiloparsecs away and it's shape appears to have been influenced by the Milky Way's gravitational pull. The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is an irregular galaxy. While it doesn't have the beautiful spiral shape that our galaxy has, it does have a central bar and a spiral arm that has been distorted by the more massive Milky Way. It has a diameter of about 14,000 light years which makes it only about one tenth the size of the Milky Way Galaxy.

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Red, White, and Blue Stellar Fireworks in Distant Galaxy

Greg - Staff Writer — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:30:31 +0000

As Americans celebrate their Independence Day today, I thought we should look to the heavens to find a celestial celebration. In the distant galaxy NGC 4449, you can find the colors red, white, and blue ablaze in new star forming regions which resemble fireworks!

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Violent Galactic Collision: Stephan’s Quintet

Greg - Staff Writer — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 16:10:21 +0000

What happens when galaxies get too close to one another? Why a galactic collision of course! Stephan's Quintet happens to be a pretty violent one.

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Giant Green Blobs Found in Space!

Greg - Staff Writer — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 01:00:14 +0000

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope recently imaged these giant green blobs in the vicinity of the spiral galaxy IC 2497. This kind of oddity, which is in the constellation Leo Minor, is not well understood and remains unclassified.

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What is the Smallest Galaxy in the Universe?

Greg - Staff Writer — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:42:31 +0000

Have you ever wondered what the smallest galaxy in the universe is? As far as we know today, that distinction goes to a galaxy called Willman 1.

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The Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1672

Greg - Staff Writer — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 18:58:16 +0000

NGC 1672 is a barred spiral galaxy. It can be found in the constellation Dorado - The Swordfish. An interesting feature in NGC 1672 is a large bright bar that bisects it.

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Gravitational Lens Effect: Bending Light

Greg - Staff Writer — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:28:56 +0000

Did you know that very strong gravity can actually bend light? Gravitational lenses are formed when light from a very distant source is bent around an object with a very large mass. Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity predicted this phenomenon.

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What is the Galactic Center?

Greg - Staff Writer — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 01:12:05 +0000

If you don't live by the bright lights of the city and can see the fuzzy arch of the Milky Way Galaxy overhead at night, you'll have a chance to gaze upon the Galactic Center itself! The Galactic Center is the point around which the rest of our galaxy rotates. You can find it if you look in the direction of the constellations Sagittarius, Scorpius, and Ophiuchus where the Milky Way looks the brightest.

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Polar Ring Galaxies: Strange Galaxies Indeed!

Greg - Staff Writer — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:31:47 +0000

According to the Astronomical Institute at St. Petersburg State University in Russia, there have only been 157 Polar Ring Galaxies identified. A Polar Ring Galaxy (PRG) is type of galaxy where an outer ring of gas and stars rotates over the poles of the galaxy.

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