Posted on 06/02/2012 3:23:23 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: Follow the handle of the Big Dipper away from the dipper's bowl until you get to the handle's last bright star. Then, just slide your telescope a little south and west and you might find this stunning pair of interacting galaxies, the 51st entry in Charles Messier famous catalog. Perhaps the original spiral nebula, the large galaxy with well defined spiral structure is also cataloged as NGC 5194. Its spiral arms and dust lanes clearly sweep in front of its companion galaxy (top), NGC 5195. The pair are about 31 million light-years distant and officially lie within the angular boundaries of the small constellation Canes Venatici. Though M51 looks faint and fuzzy to the human eye, deep images like this one can reveal the faint tidal debris around the smaller galaxy.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit & Copyright: Marco Burali, Tiziano Capecchi, Marco Mancini (Osservatorio MTM)]
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OK. Where’s the Maytag Galaxy ? LG ?
Hanging out in the break room I assume.
That’s Beautiful! Thank You, Sunken Civ!
The meeting of galaxies immediately brings to mind the basis for E.E. Doc Smith’s Lensman series. Doc Smith also wrote another story, Subspace Explorers, which contained something I’ve been trying to rediscover for about thirty years now (never thinking about search engines, DUH!). What it was, was Smith’s “Principle of Enlightened Self-Interest”. Here is what is written in Wikipedia (I know) about the subject:
Summary of plot:
•A space catastrophe and its results
•The discovery and scientific study of psionics
•A war between the corrupt and shortsighted (including Labour, politicians, Soviet-style communists and greedy capitalists) and those who can see a bit further (mostly tradesmen, professionals, and businessmen).
The principle of enlightened self-interest is a philosophy that has existed for hundreds of years.
In the course of the book, Doc Smith extends this principle into an economic formula used for calculating profits and bonuses. After describing a deadly planet-wide strike, he discusses the ensuing development of this economic principle.
Capital must make enough profit to attract investors, and wants to make as much more than that minimum as it can. Labor must make a living, and wants as much more than that minimum as it can get. Between those two minima lies the line of dispute, which is the locus of all points of reasonable and practicable settlement. Somewhere on that line lies a point, which can be computed from the Law of Diminishing Returns as base, at which Capital’s net profit, Labor’s net annual income, and the public’s benefit, will all three combine to produce the maximum summated good.[1]
Later, he says:
Every employee, from top to bottom, received an annual basic salary plus a bonus. This bonus varied with the net profit of the firm, and each employee’s actual ability.
‘twould be difficult to find something which so closely parallels todays situation. Also wonder if Ayn Rand ever read this story. Thank you for your great posts/
Pretty picture.
Yeah, but the Kitteh Galaxeh is kuter.
Good-looking angel.
Thanks!
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