Friday, April 17, 2015

APOD 4.4

One-Armed Spiral Galaxy NGC 4725: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150416.html


Most spiral galaxies have two or more arms, but NGC 4725 only has one. The galaxy is composed of bluish, newborn star clusters and red tinted star forming regions with a single spira mirabilis winding out. NGC 4725 is over 100 thousand light-years across and is located 41 million light-years away in Coma Berenices. This photo is cool because you can also see another galaxy in the upper right corner. 

Friday, April 10, 2015

APOD 4.3

NGC 2903: A Missing Jewel in Leo


NGC 2903 is a barred spiral galaxy about 20 million light years away. It is surprisingly missing from the Messier catalog despite being one of the brighter objects in the sky. It can be seen within the constellation of Leo, near the top of the lion's head. Its bright core is an amazing mix of old and young clusters with immense dust and gas clouds. NGC 2903 is abuot 80,000 light years across. 

Thursday, April 2, 2015

APOD 4.2

A Flag Shaped Aurora Over Sweden: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150330.html


In mid-March, a Coronal Mass Ejection led to one of the most intense geomagnetic storms of recent years. The result was many auroras appearing over countries near Earth's poles. This image was taken of a 50 km tall aurora appearing over Sweden. Colorful auroras are likely to continue, but this one is unusual as it is super straight, comparative to a flag.