A spiral galaxy giving birth to a lot of stars
Click for original image.
Time for another cool galaxy image! The picture to the right, reduced and sharpened to post here, was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, and shows what some informally refer to as the “‘Spanish Dancer Galaxy’ because the “vivid and dramatic swirling lines of its spiral arms … evoke the shapes and colours of a dancer’s moving form. ”
Though this galaxy’s two main arms cause it to resemble a barred galaxy, it lacks a central bar, suggesting it is young. The numerous reddish and pink regions in the arms, all of which are thought to be star-forming regions, also suggest the galaxy is young, still giving birth to many stars.
It is located about 60 million light years away, and is part of what scientists label the Doradus galaxy group, which contains less than a hundred galaxies. In comparison, a galaxy cluster is much larger, containing hundreds to thousands of galaxies.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
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You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Click for original image.
Time for another cool galaxy image! The picture to the right, reduced and sharpened to post here, was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, and shows what some informally refer to as the “‘Spanish Dancer Galaxy’ because the “vivid and dramatic swirling lines of its spiral arms … evoke the shapes and colours of a dancer’s moving form. ”
Though this galaxy’s two main arms cause it to resemble a barred galaxy, it lacks a central bar, suggesting it is young. The numerous reddish and pink regions in the arms, all of which are thought to be star-forming regions, also suggest the galaxy is young, still giving birth to many stars.
It is located about 60 million light years away, and is part of what scientists label the Doradus galaxy group, which contains less than a hundred galaxies. In comparison, a galaxy cluster is much larger, containing hundreds to thousands of galaxies.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
NGC 1566 for those who wish to research further. And yes, cool galaxy time!