Click on photos to enlarge.
The
Pinwheel or M33 has ‘arms’, but these show only at long
exposures. To prevent the center from over-exposure and
‘burn-out’, we made this image using non-linear tricks. Now the
arms AND center show.
A second
look at NGC 206 in the Andromeda Galaxy. This is a nebula and
birthplace of stars similar to the Great Nebula of Orion in our
galaxy. Both nebulae have young stars with surface temperatures
of 60,000 degrees K.
M60, in Vir, is a giant elliptical galaxy,
about one trillion solar masses, 5 times that of the Milky Way.
Its diameter is about 120,000 light years, and it is 55 million
l-y away. The faint spiral galaxy, NGC 4647 is nearly in contact
with M-60. This galaxy had the 15th magnitude Type I supernova
1979a.
Many astronomers think that giant elliptical galaxies like M-60
form when smaller galaxies collide and combine into an
elliptical galaxy. M60 is thus
not an “old” glob. Ultimately NGC 4647 will merge into M60, but
they are still 100,000 to 200,000 l-y apart.
M85,
NGC 4382, in Coma Berenices, an ellipt. cluster, SO class, with
barred spiral NGC 4394 8’ to East. Both are in the Virgo
Cluster. M85 has mainly old yellow stars while 4394 is a young
spiral. M85 is 125,000 l-y across and pulls in the smaller 4394
and will merge. M85 had super nova SN 1960R.
M87 is a giant elliptical
galaxy, 60 million l-y away with 1 to 2 10*12 solar masses (3
to 5 times more massive than M31, Andromeda Galaxy). It has a
large black hole emitting strong radio waves and causing a jet.
The jet is barely visible at the right of M87, but it is 4,000
l-y long.
M88,
this single frame out of 20 we took, shows a satellite zipping
by. This frame was eliminated from the series of 20 in the
processing of the image. But it is still interesting.
M88,
NGC 4501 in Coma Berenices, a bright symmetrical spiral galaxy.
We see it as about 30 degrees from edge-on. It is 60,000 l-y
across and 40 million l-y away, but still part of the Virgo
Group (as we, in Milky Way, are). Its speed, measured from the
red-shift, is too large to stay in the Virgo Group. We might
have to wave good-bye in a billion years or so.
M90,
NGC 4569 in Virgo, is another neighbor of us in the Virgo Group.
It is like our Milky Way, 7’ x 1.5’ in apparent size, 80,000
l-y across and 42 million l-y away. Its mass is about 80 billion
solar masses.
NGC 7217,
in Peg, is a many-armed tight spiral galaxy we see face-on. The
arms are not continuous or regular and interrupted by dust
rings. The name “flocculent spiral” is used for this pattern.
Its mag is 11 and it is 41 million l-y away; the size is only 2
½ arc-min in the sky.
Stephan’s Quintet, NGC 7317,
in Peg, shows a huge cosmic collision with unique star
formation processes. Four of the quintet are 35 million l-y
away, the fifth, NGC 7320, is likely closer. The four are
gravitationally bound. Its mag is only 14.
NGC 7479 or H55-1, the “S-shaped Spiral”,
is a barred-type spiral galaxy, 100 million l-y away, mag 11.6
and 4’ x 3’ in apparent size. It had the SuperNova 1990u.
NGC 7814 in Pegasus
is right-on edge-on as viewed from Earth. It is 40 to 50 million
l-y away, size only 4’ x 2’ and mag 11.6.
M94 (NGC 4736) in CVn, is a bright (mag 8.9), nearly
circular, face-on spiral galaxy. Its central core is 30 arc sec
in size; the tightly wound spiral arms diminish fast in
brightness and extend to 50”. It has also a dim outer ring of
abt. 4’. Distance is 20 10*6 l-y and the diam is 20,000 l-y. We
will revisit this one for a much longer exposure.
M99 (NGC 4254) in Com (Coma Berenices) has a pinwheel
shape. It is face-on, brightness mag 10.5 and 250” across. In
1967 and 72 it had SuperNovae, but not tonight. Distance is 50
10*6 l-y.
M100 (NGC 4321) in Com is bright (mag 9), nearly face-on
and 50 10*6 l-y away. Two much fainter galaxies are nearby.
M108 (NGC 3556) in UMa is a nearly edge-on spiral galaxy
of mag 9 brightness. Its size is 8’ x 1’, distance 45 10*6 l-y
and it has an irregular dark dust lane.
M109 (NGC 3992) in UMa is a “barred” spiral, 55 10*6 l-y
away and of mag 10.5. It always appears slightly fuzzy but the
bar is a noteworthy feature. Galaxy UGC 6969 is to the left on
the photo as a faint smudge. The bright star just above center
is a star in the foreground belonging to our Milky Way galaxy
and thus not a SN.
NGC 4559 in Com
is a very nice spiral galaxy halfway between edge-on and
face-on. Distance is 25 10*6 l-y but brightness only mag 13. We
will return to this beauty for a much longer exposure, 40 x 100
sec, to reveal its interesting details.
NGC 4565 in Com is a bright (mag 10) edge-on galaxy, size
15’ x 1.5’, at a distance of 20 10*6 l-y and one of the nicest
“edge-ons”.
NGC 4565
in
Com (Coma Berenices) is the largest edge-on spiral galaxy we
see; likely still belonging to the Virgo Cluster; mag 10.5 and
20 million l-y away.
M101
or “Pinwheel”
galaxy in UMa is a face-on spiral galaxy. It is somewhat
bluish and of low density (only 10% of the density of our Milky
Way); therefore it has low contrast, looks “smudgy”, and needs
real dark skies to show its spiral arms. It had Super Novae in
1909, 1951 and 1970 adding to its fame.
Ngc 3079
A “barred” spiral galaxy in UMa with a “bubble” at its center.
50 10*6 l-y away, the “bubble” is 3,000 l-y in size and 3,500
l-y above the galaxy’s plane. Bubble is formed by high-speed
particles (a hot super wind) left over from a large burst of
star formations. This one is 1 million years old and these
bursts (and bubbles) form repeatedly with a period of about 10
million years, acc. to models.
Ngc 3184
A face-on beauty with long arms and many young, hot, blue stars
in UMa and about 30 million l-y away is Ngc 3184. A decade ago
it featured a SN and in color it would show its blue colors.
Ngc 3198
This one is of theoretical interest because of its large dark
matter halo. From the orbital velocities of the stars, it could
be calculated that the dark mass is twice the mass of the
visible (baryonic) mass of the stars in this galaxy. The bright
star (in the foreground) just above 3198 is a very close double.
The double is not resolved, but discernible (barely), in the
photo.
Ngc 3718
This is a disturbed galaxy in UMa with twisted extensions on
either side likely caused by a close encounter with another
galaxy. I remember this one from long ago; it is the perfect
galaxy-cocktail with a twist, a “bar”, bright nucleus and thin,
curved, dark dust lanes. It's 50 million l-y away; Ngc 3729 is
to the right, but cut off partially. Just below are the 5
galaxies known as the strange “Hickson Group 56"; they are 400
million l-y away.
Ngc 3718 same as the the one on the left, but I selected
the 18 best ones of the 21 exposures. This allowed me to use
PhotoShop a bit more aggressively on the stacked image
Canes II Group (or CVn-II Group) and
is part of the M106 Group.
M108 (NGC 3556) in UMa is a nearly edge-on spiral galaxy
of mag 9 brightness. Its size is 8’ x 1’, distance 45 10*6 l-y
and it has an irregular dark dust lane.
