Space
Hydrogen in M51 Perhaps the original spiral nebula, M51 is a large galaxy, over 60,000 light-years across, with a readily apparent spiral structure. Also cataloged as NGC 5194, M51 is a part of a well-known interacting galaxy pair, its spiral arms and dust lanes clearly sweeping in front of companion galaxy NGC 5195 (top). This dramatically processed color composite combines M51 image data from the Calar Alto Observatory's 1.2 meter telescope. The data include long exposures through a narrow…
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie
Wie entstehen Sterne und Planeten? Welche Eigenschaften haben Planeten, die andere Sterne umkreisen als die Sonne? Beherbergt irgendein anderer Planet Leben? Wie entstehen die Galaxien, und wie haben sich ihre Eigenschaften über die kosmische Geschichte hinweg verändert? Mit diesen Fragen beschäftigen sich die Wissenschaftler und Ingenieure am Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie (MPIA) in Heidelberg. Das MPIA wurde 1967 gegründet und ist eines von rund 80 Instituten der…
NGC 1398: An utterly perfect spiral galaxy
It's nice to catch up with old friends sometimes, isn't it? If it's been a while, with the passage of time you see them better — more clearly — and your own experience may give you better insight on them as well. Oh — now that I write that out I see that this works for humans, too. But I meant it for astronomical objects, specifically galaxies. Even more specifically I meant NGC 1398, a perfect spiral galaxy about 65 million light-years away in the constellation of Fornax: