Posted on 01/09/2012 7:01:52 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Explanation: From our vantage point in the Milky Way Galaxy, we see NGC 6946 face-on. The big, beautiful spiral galaxy is located just 10 million light-years away, behind a veil of foreground dust and stars in the high and far-off constellation of Cepheus. From the core outward, the galaxy's colors change from the yellowish light of old stars in the center to young blue star clusters and reddish star forming regions along the loose, fragmented spiral arms. NGC 6946 is also bright in infrared light and rich in gas and dust, exhibiting a high star birth and death rate. In fact, since the early 20th century at least nine supernovae, the death explosions of massive stars, were discovered in NGC 6946. Nearly 40,000 light-years across, NGC 6946 is also known as the Fireworks Galaxy. This remarkable portrait of NGC 6946 is a composite that includes image data from the 8.2 meter Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Composite Image Data: Subaru Telescope (NAOJ) and Robert Gendler; Processing: Robert Gendler]
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Awesome pic! Saved!
Just to keep that in perspective this galaxy has one about every 100 years.
Supernovae, the explosive end of the life of some stars, are among the most powerful and most spectacular events in the universe. They are also very rare. Our Milky Way galaxy, with tens of billions of stars, sees one of them explode every 100 years or so. The last known supernova in our galaxy was seen in 1604 and was studied by the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler. Since that time, we think that at least two stars may have exploded in the Milky Way, with the explosions veiled by some of the Milky Way's many thick, opaque clouds of dust and gas. But none have been seen.
Awesome, as usual!
Thanks bhf!
The big version is definitely worth checking out:
http://129.164.179.22/apod/image/1201/NGC6946-Subaru-GendlerL.jpg
...Thanks for the link, fred. Will check it out closer later.
That’s amazing, fred. In the pre-supernova pic, it looks as if there is just a little smudge there, and then three years later the nova is obvious. Quite an explosion.
Almost enough to make you think we are all living a sheltered life...
Hmmm... Indeed.
:’) Thanks to two oceans, superior firepower, and our Framers.
We’ve been Framed.
We’ve been Framed???
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