Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Grand Spiral Galaxy NGC 7424

NASA ^ | January 08, 2012 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: The grand, winding arms are almost mesmerizing in this face-on view of NGC 7424, a spiral galaxy with a prominent central bar. About 40 million light-years distant in the headlong constellation Grus, this island universe is also about 100,000 light-years across making it remarkably similar to our own Milky Way. Following along the winding arms, many bright clusters of massive young stars can be found. The star clusters themselves are several hundred light-years in diameter. And while massive stars are born in the arms of NGC 7424, they also die there. Notably, this galaxy was home to a powerful stellar explosion, supernova SN 2001ig, which faded well before the above image was recorded.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit & Copyright: SSRO-South (S. Mazlin, J. Harvey, D. Verschatse, R. Gilbert) & Kevin Ivarsen (UNC/CTIO/PROMPT)]

[SunkenCiv]

join or quit list APoD 'blog post new APoD topic Astronomy Picture of the Day topic & keyword Astronomy Chat, Bloggers & keyword Science Chat, Bloggers & keyword NASA's APoD archive Calendar 1995-present APoD on your desktop

[no-to-illegals]

Simply beautiful.

[mylife]

BTW, your APoD desktop link is broken, but I found it anyway.

[One Name]

Caught a PBS deal over the holidays about the latest telescope data. I was reloading shotgun shells at the time which I find therapeutic since the election, but the gist was that the rate of known universe expansion is ACCELERATING, not slowing as one might suspect.

To stay with the firearm metaphor it is as if the powder charge is still in the ignition phase building pressure in the barrel...like the Big Bang just lit off!

[null and void]

Big Bangs have Bigger Bangs within their bowels igniting, and Bigger Bangs have Grander Bangs, and so on ad infinitum...

[One Name]

So what we think is the “end of time” is just nanoseconds after the magnum primer got struck.

Kinda puts us in our place.

[martin_fierro]

Speaking of galaxies...

[fieldmarshaldj]

"Big Bangs have Bigger Bangs within their bowels igniting"

Careful now. That's how Al Roker got in trouble at the White House.

[gonzo]

Thanks, SunkenCiv! Always interesting ...................................................... FRegards

[TrueKnightGalahad]

It’s long past time that I thanked you for these awesome pictures, and thank you for taking your time every day to bring such wonder and beauty into our lives.