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Astronomy Picture of the Day
NASA ^ | 7/1/09 | Giovanni Benintende

Posted on 07/01/2009 7:58:44 AM PDT by sig226


Three Galaxies in Draco
Credit & Copyright:
Giovanni Benintende

Explanation: This intriguing trio of galaxies is sometimes called the Draco Group, located in the northern constellation of (you guessed it) Draco. From left to right are edge-on spiral NGC 5981, elliptical galaxy NGC 5982, and face-on spiral NGC 5985 -- all within this single telescopic field of view spanning a little more than half the width of the full moon. While the group is far too small to be a galaxy cluster and has not been cataloged compact group, these galaxies all do lie roughly 100 million light-years from planet Earth. On close examination with spectrographs, the bright core of the striking face-on spiral NGC 5985 shows prominent emission in specific wavelengths of light, prompting astronomers to classify it as a Seyfert, a type of active galaxy. Not as well known as other tight groupings of galaxies, the contrast in visual appearance makes this triplet an attractive subject for astrophotographers. This impressively deep exposure of the region also reveals faint and even more distant background galaxies.


TOPICS: Astronomy Picture of the Day
KEYWORDS: apod
Happy July!
1 posted on 07/01/2009 7:58:44 AM PDT by sig226
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To: fnord; Number57; KevinDavis; rdb3; MNJohnnie; RightWhale; proudofthesouth; hattend; ...

2 posted on 07/01/2009 7:59:16 AM PDT by sig226 (Real power is not the ability to destroy an enemy. It is the willingness to do it.)
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To: sig226

I’ll never forget seeing Andromeda through my bucket. One of the most important days in my interest in astronomy.

Gorgeous picture. Draco has some nice sights.


3 posted on 07/01/2009 8:06:14 AM PDT by rarestia ("One man with a gun can control 100 without one." - Lenin / MOLWN LABE!)
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To: sig226

I’ll never forget seeing Andromeda through my bucket. One of the most important days in my interest in astronomy.

Gorgeous picture. Draco has some nice sights.


4 posted on 07/01/2009 8:06:39 AM PDT by rarestia ("One man with a gun can control 100 without one." - Lenin / MOLWN LABE!)
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To: sig226

These are reasons why I am an amateur astronomer.


5 posted on 07/01/2009 8:35:56 AM PDT by Conan the Librarian (The Best in Life is to crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and the Dewey Decimal System)
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To: Conan the Librarian

A worthy hobby.


6 posted on 07/01/2009 8:50:56 AM PDT by cripplecreek (The poor bastards have us surrounded.)
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To: sig226

Draco ?

7 posted on 07/01/2009 10:13:01 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
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To: sig226

WOW!


8 posted on 07/01/2009 10:14:53 AM PDT by bmwcyle (Obama is an illegal alien)
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To: sig226

we are a very tiny part of of own milky way, How many solar systems are in the galaxy to the lower right.


9 posted on 07/01/2009 11:39:22 AM PDT by VaRepublican (I would propagate taglines but I don't know how.)
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To: VaRepublican
Hard to say VaRep. To have a solar system, you need to have
a star orbited by planets or smaller planetoids, moons,comets,
asteroids etc.

It is interesting speculating and imagining over though,
isn't it?

10 posted on 07/01/2009 5:10:03 PM PDT by JerseyJohn61 (Better Late Than Never.......sometimes over lapping is worth the effort....)
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