Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Bright Star Regulus near the Leo I Dwarf Galaxy

NASA ^ | January 09, 2012 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: The star near the top is so bright that it is sometimes hard to notice the galaxy toward the bottom. Pictured above, both the star, Regulus, and the galaxy, Leo I, can be found within one degree of each other toward the constellation of the Lion (Leo). Regulus is part of a multiple star system, with a close companion double star visible to the lower left of the young main sequence star. Leo I is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy in the Local Group of galaxies dominated by our Milky Way Galaxy and M31. Leo I is thought to be the most distant of the several known small satellite galaxies orbiting our Milky Way Galaxy. Regulus is located about 75 light years away, in contrast to Leo 1 which is located about 800,000 light years away.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit & Copyright: Chris Cook (CookPhoto.com)]

[SunkenCiv]

Discovery + Outreach: Graduate student research position open for APOD

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[Darksheare]

Romney busts so many moves

I wouldn't trust him to be an ice cream man.
Support FR, defeat the rinos.

[ixtl]

Dwarf Galaxy???

So that’s where Gimli came from. Not to forget Doc, Happy, Sneezy, Dopey, Sleepy and Grumpy.

[left that other site]

Nice One!

[randita]

The links show the Jan. 9 photo.

[Conan the Librarian]

Thanks for this.

I am going to take a stab at this next month while at a star party in Florida.

I think I don’t have enough mirror, but, gonna try anyway.

[SunkenCiv]

Must be I clicked on the wrong ez-post link.

http://129.164.179.22/apod/ap120110.html

[SunkenCiv]

Let us know how it goes.

[Conan the Librarian]

The guy in the club that has the 22 inch has seen it, but, I have but a 10 inch scope.

No Fear!