Spiral Galaxy NGC 2841
Credit & Copyright: Johannes Schedler (Panther Observatory)
Posted on 03/29/2008 6:01:49 AM PDT by sig226
Explanation: Some 50 million light-years distant, spiral galaxy NGC 2841 can be found in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. This sharp view of the gorgeous island universe shows off a striking yellow nucleus and galactic disk with tightly wound spiral arms. NGC 2841 has a diameter of over 150,000 light-years, even larger than our own Milky Way Galaxy. The galaxy's dust lanes and turbulent star-forming regions are found along the spiral arms, but X-ray images suggest that resulting winds and stellar explosions create plumes of hot gas extending into a halo around NGC 2841. Of course, the prominent stars with a spiky appearance in the picture are close foreground objects within the Milky Way and not associated with NGC 2841.
That just takes the breath away.
Related to this:
One of the most amazing things I’ve learned recently is that the Andomeda galaxy has an angular diameter that is seven times as big as the moon. We can only see the bright center without a telescope.
To me it’s pretty amazing that it was only in the 1930s I believe that we began to realize that there was more to space than our own galaxy.
Yep, just put NGC 2841 as my desktop.
The gravity problem is major. Many papers are now being readied for publication. It is not exactly the death of Newtonian gravity but it will be a severe modification and ordinary people not schooled in physics will never understand gravity again.
If you can find a really dark sky, such as on the ocean, a pair of 7x50’s give you an idea of its dimensions.
Saw it once on a sail to the Bahamas.
It’s not defined but you can see some nebulousity.(is that a word?)
That is correct. There were no galaxies then. The universe was one billion years old. All this amazing stuff is new in our lifetimes, and poorly understood. Coast last night was a classic interview of Michio Kaku by Art Bell. They are a deadly team.
I keep most of them; changing laptop bg often...
When I was in the Navy I used to do a lot of sky gazing with night vision devices. While they didn’t magnify optically, they really showed the true size of many nebula objects. Combine that with the total darkness of the open ocean and it was quite a show.
Stunning.
There only like way over a Billion of these things out there?
That alone is a good reason to join the navy. With my luck, they would have put me in a submarine. :)
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