Posted on 02/11/2015 4:25:57 AM PST by SunkenCiv
Explanation: Majestic on a truly cosmic scale, M100 is appropriately known as a grand design spiral galaxy. It is a large galaxy of over 100 billion stars with well-defined spiral arms that is similar to our own Milky Way Galaxy. One of the brightest members of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies, M100 (alias NGC 4321) is 56 million light-years distant toward the constellation of Berenice's Hair (Coma Berenices). This Hubble Space Telescope image of M100 was made in 2006 and reveals bright blue star clusters and intricate winding dust lanes which are hallmarks of this class of galaxies. Studies of variable stars in M100 have played an important role in determining the size and age of the Universe. If you know exactly where to look, you can find a small spot that is a light echo from a bright supernova that was recorded a few months before the image was taken.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA; Processing & Licence: Judy Schmidt]
Incredible.....thanks for post
My pleasure. I was quite taken with “The Big One”.
Incredible!!!
I believe the images of Galaxies are my favorites!
I’ve always wondered if there are indeed ‘super massive black holes’ at the center of all of these galaxies, such as ours. They don’t TRULY know, as it is all theories. If it ISN’T black holes at the center of the galaxies, then what else could it be? Just fascinating to think about. Just wish I was knowledgeable/smart enough to REALLY think about it in a more educated way.
Sucks when you don’t know what you don’t know. lol
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